


The Princess Who Changed Fate

by JeanBlaze



Category: Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle
Genre: Canon Rewrite, Gen, Will include more characters from other stories soon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-24
Updated: 2016-06-22
Packaged: 2018-05-03 04:25:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 63,960
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5276531
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JeanBlaze/pseuds/JeanBlaze
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"The child of the universe will wake from its slumber" with these words ringing in her ears, Ayame is whisked off into a journey to help Syaoran save the life of her younger sister Sakura. Fei-Wong Reed and Yuuko are troubled now, because they know this Princess can break their intricately woven plans.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Beginning

The sun had just begun to set, painting the sky in brilliant shades of yellow and orange. A cool breeze blew through the country of Clow, stirring up the sands in the desert and giving a much needed respite to the citizens after a hot day. But it was not enough to ease the exhaustion of the soldiers who lay panting in the courtyard of the palace.

“Man, I have had enough running to last a lifetime!” Dacascos panted, sitting down heavily.

“Oh come on! Don’t tell me that’s all you boys have got!” a female voice rang out, “Give me three more runs around the palace let’s go!”

“Give us a few more minutes to catch our breath, Commander!”

“Yeah please”

“Alright, alright; take 5 minutes. But after that it’s four laps not three” the Commander said, the collective groans making her grin.

Dacascos raised his head to get a good look at the Commander of the Clow army, who was now sitting at a table going through some documents. The platoon had been doing drills since the crack of dawn and by now all the soldiers had totally run out of juice; but not the Commander. Even though her fair cheeks were flushed and her body was covered in a thin sheen of sweat, the twinkle in her lilac eyes were clear indication that she had enough energy to train through the night.

“The princess is pretty impressive eh?” said a chubby soldier who was resting next to Dacascos.

“Wait what!” Dacascos exclaimed, “The princess?!”

“Oh yeah… It’s your first day right?” the other one grinned, “That insanely energetic young lady over there is none other than the crown princess of Clow kingdom, Ayame”

Dacascos doubled back to look at the princess again. He had heard stories about the crown princess being the Commander of the army, but he had always dismissed them as rumours – it was just impossible! But once the initial shock had worn off, he remembered the other stories about the princess. How much of it was true, he wondered. Time to find out.

“Is it true” he asked Mr. Chubby next to him, “That she is the one who was supposed to take the throne but passed it on to her younger brother?”

“Younger brother by two minutes, but yeah younger nonetheless,” he said. Then he lowered his voice and continued, “They say it’s because the nobles didn’t support her. Rumour has it that she is the reason why…”

“That’s enough chit-chat!” a stern voice said, making the gossiping soldiers jump out of their skin.

“Gen… General Lafarga!” Mr. Chubby stammered, clumsily raising himself from the ground and saluting the blonde man who had interrupted them. Dacascos followed his example.

“You are here to train soldier,” the General said, narrowing his dark grey eyes, “You will be wise to remember that”

He then turned and walked away without waiting for a reply, his ponytail swishing slightly in the breeze.

  
**XXX**

  
“You know, Your Highness, if you don’t act like royalty people are going to forget that you are actually a princess”

“Oh who cares about that? I am the Commander of the army, that’s all they should concern themselves with” Ayame replied, briefly looking away from the papers she had been going through to give him one of her playful smiles.

Lafarga sighed. She had been this way for as long as he remembered. He glanced back at the soldiers he had caught gossiping just moments ago. ‘If only they knew what she is really like, they wouldn’t be talking about her like that’ he thought, sighing again.

“What happened? What’s with all the sighs?” Ayame asked.

“Nothing at all Your Highness” he said with a small smile.

As Ayame turned her attention back to her papers, the General thought about much she looked like the late Queen Nadeshiko. They had the same tall, graceful frame, the same flowing jet-black hair, the same fair skin – though Ayame’s was slightly tanned due to all the drills she did in the hot Clow sun. But most importantly, the same, kind eyes.

“Why did you come to see me by the way, Lafarga?”

“I was just passing by actually when I saw you here with the soldiers,” he started, remembering why he was here in the first place, “I was wondering why you aren’t at the meeting”

“Meeting? What meeting?” Ayame asked, this time setting down the papers “I wasn’t informed of any” she added with a frown.

Anger went through Lafarga like a blazing desert wind, making his nostrils flare. It was just as he suspected. “The archaeologists are back from the ruins,” he said, struggling to keep his voice steady, “They are holding a meeting about their findings with King Touya and…”

“The heads of the noble families” Ayame finished, realization dawning on her face.

“His Eminence had sent a messenger for you I am sure” Lafarga continued, unable to keep the contempt out of his voice anymore, “But one of those stinking geezers must have…”

“That’s enough Lafarga” Ayame cut him off sternly, “Remember that you are accusing the noble men of this country of foul play. Besides, I have been running about with this platoon of mine all day. It’s possible that the messenger was unable to find me in time”

“But princess…!”

“Well I guess I’ll get the training stink off me and meet Touya later” Ayame shrugged, ignoring her General’s protest.

She got up and dismissed the platoon for the day, much to the relief of the soldiers.

“Thanks for letting me know, Lafarga” she said with a smile before heading off to her chambers, but he did not miss the fact that her smile didn’t really reach her eyes.

‘ _Even though it was not her fault, even after all that she has done for this kingdom, all that she has sacrificed, nothing has changed has it?_ ’

 

**XXX**

 

“Ah! That was refreshing!” Ayame sighed, stretching her arms above her head as she got out of the bath.

As she wrapped a towel around her and walked to her closet, her eyes fell on the full length mirror on the stone wall, which was reflecting the image of the various battle scars on her back – few had begun to fade away into ghosts while a few stood out on her fair back like streaks of dark paint on white canvas.

“Not the life you had envisioned for me, eh mom?”

Her mind wandered off to the conversation she had with Lafarga earlier in the courtyard as she began to get dressed. He was right, of course – the nobles had made sure that the message about the meeting never reached her. Then during the meeting, they must have used her absence as an excuse to launch into one of their speeches about how she was extremely incompetent and should be stripped of all titles. Then the king and the high priest would have defended her and listed all the battles and diplomatic missions she had led successfully. Then the nobles would have unwillingly silenced their tongues while plotting another way to throw her off her position.

‘ _Some things never change do they?_ ’

Lafarga had told her to act more like royalty, but Ayame never saw the point of doing so when so many were against it. Even her clothes were not too flashy – a lavender tube top which ended right above her belly button over purple balloon bloomer pants. She completed the look with a matching purple jacket with a silver border. The only thing that could possibly give away her royal status was the belt she wore, which was encrusted with amethysts and moonstones.

‘ _Moonstones offer protection Ayame, that’s why you should have them on your person_ ’ ‘ _Okay. I get that. But why the amethysts?_ ’ ‘ _Why you ask? Because they suit you!_ ’

Ayame was shaken out of her day dream by the sound of the maids frantically whispering and running in the corridors outside.

“The young princess snuck out again!”

“Oh dear! His Highness is going to be so cross!”

‘ _Now why the hell would Sakura…_ ’ Ayame’s train of thought paused when everything clicked into place. She chuckled, the archaeologists were back, meaning ‘he’ was back too.

‘ _The look on Touya’s face is going to be priceless_ ’ she thought laughing as she left her chambers and began to make her way to the throne room.  
Ayame didn’t care if the nobles despised her; the mindless gossip of the citizens didn’t matter to her either. She had her brother and sister. That’s all she ever needed.

  
**XXX**

  
Ayame was still a little away from the throne room when she heard her siblings’ voices echo through the white marble corridors.

“Was Nii-chan being selfish again?”

“I am not like you know”

“WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY!?”

“Now, now. Is that they way to talk to each other?” Ayame said as she walked into the throne room.

“Nee-chan!” Sakura exclaimed as she came running and threw her arms around Ayame.

“So tell me Sakura, how was our young archaeologist?” Ayame teased, hugging her back.

“Heh…! How did you know that I…?” Sakura trailed off, blushing.

“Don’t I always know” Ayame giggled, pulling Sakura’s cheek.

“So how far have the excavations progressed?” she asked Yukito, the High Priest of Clow, who was watching with an amused smile. Ayame changed the topic because she knew her twin was ready with a retort and if he and Sakura started another shouting match, it would be really difficult to stop them.

Yukito caught on and immediately rolled out the plans he had been holding in his hands. “The excavation has progressed a great deal” he said as Ayame and Sakura stood on either side of him to see.

“Does that mean it’s almost finished?” Sakura asked.

“Nah” Touya answered, looking out into the desert, “Apparently the ruins are just off the ground”

“That’s amazing!” Ayame said, studying the plans carefully, “Looks like they have also found an underground passage”

“Yup” Touya confirmed, smirking and looking pointedly at Sakura, “I have told them to keep digging. Meaning – that brat will be so, so, so, so busy!”

“Touya!” Ayame said reproachfully.

But before anyone could say anything, Sakura lashed out, “It’s okay! Syaoran likes excavating. When he finds out that he has more work, he will be thrilled!” Then with a loud ‘hmph’ she ran out of the throne room.

“You shouldn’t upset her like that, Your Highness” Yukito said, looking in the direction in which Sakura left with concern. He then turned to Ayame, “You will talk to her later, right Princess?”

Ayame playfully punched Yukito in the shoulder, “How many times have I told you to drop the titles when it’s just us!”

“Yeah would you like us to call you ‘Your Eminence’ all the time huh? We have known each other almost all our lives!” Touya said, punching Yukito’s other shoulder.

Ayame looked on at Touya and Yukito fondly while the former continued to tease the latter. All three of them had grown up together in the very castle they were standing. Those memories always cheered her up, no matter how lonely or upset she got.

“That brat drives me crazy!” Touya sighed.

“Well that’s because she likes spending with him more than she likes spending time with you!” Ayame teased. “Ow! Let me go!” she yelled when Touya started pulling her hair.

“You three siblings are quite adorable” Yukito chuckled.

“Well!” Touya said, putting his arm around Ayame’s shoulders, “My sisters are all I’ve got right”

Then suddenly, Touya’s dark blue eyes became serious, “But… he is the one for her, isn’t he?”

“It is as per my predictions…” Yukito said quietly, “Syaoran, is the only one who can save Sakura”

Ayame didn’t need predictions, she had known it to be true the moment she saw Syaoran and Sakura together for the first time all those years ago. They both were drawn to each other, their fates entwined right from the start. Ayame looked out into the desert, at the ruins which had begun poking their twin towers out of the sands. In the gentle moonlight, they seemed to be radiating power which made the stars look dim. She had always felt the energy vibrating beneath the ruins but it didn’t bother her – it didn’t seem dangerous. What did bother her was the fact that it was similar to the energy of someone whom she held very close to her heart.

“It’s got to do with Sakura’s powers, isn’t it?” Ayame said to no one in particular, absent-mindedly fidgeting the silver chain bracelet on her left wrist.

“Yes” Yukito said, his light grey eyes clouded with worry, “It’s a power that can change the world… and also a power that can bring her trouble”

“Power that can bring trouble huh. Don’t I know something about that…” Ayame said softly.

“Ayame” Touya squeezed his sister’s shoulder, “What happened that night was not your fault!”

Ayame just smiled back at her brother. She could see the sincerity in his eyes, she knew he never blamed her. But Ayame could never really stop blaming herself.

“I won’t let anything happen to Sakura, Touya. Never”

The words had just left Ayame’s lips when she felt magic moving in currents around her. An old, familiar magic, which then began to flow through Yukito. He dropped everything he was holding and froze, his eyes glazing over.

Touya was about to rush to Yukito’s side, but Ayame stopped him, “Don’t interrupt him” The magic moving through him was powerful and Ayame did not want to affect the flow in anyway. Touya decided to trust his sister and stepped back, holding his breath.

“Nothing is set in stone. Determination of one can change the landscape of the future” Yukito’s voice had somehow taken a melodious tone, it sounded like him, but it was unlike him at the same time.

“Yuki…”

“Shush Touya!”

“Seals will be broken, memories will be regained. The child of the universe will wake from its slumber” Yukito continued. He then walked towards Ayame and softly took hold of her hands, “The chaos is almost at hand, Princess. Be prepared”

With that, Yukito let out a soft sigh and crumpled to the ground; but Ayame caught him before he could hit the marble floor. Touya kneeled down next to her, placing his hand on Yukito’s forehead.

“He is going to be alright, Touya. He just needs some sleep” she reassured her brother, but held her best friend tight nonetheless. She knew what had happened, but she was having difficulty understanding.

“What the hell was all that about!?”

“It was a prophecy Touya… a prophecy about me”

  
**XXX**

  
“These two never stop do they” Yukito laughed lightly.

“More like they can’t stop even if their life depended on it” Ayame sighed.

The royal siblings along with the High Priest were in a carriage, on their way to the ruins for an inspection. Well Sakura was not there for the inspection, obviously. And Touya knew that too, which was why he was hell bent against it till Ayame intervened. The King of Clow unwillingly let his little sister come along, but that didn’t mean he would stop the relentless teasing. And Sakura was never the one to back off.

“Just let them go at it, I’m sure they will stop once we reach there” Yukito said, chuckling softly at the vein which had begun throbbing on Ayame’s forehead.

“Well if they don’t I’m going to make them” Ayame whispered, throwing a murderous glance at her siblings which they totally ignored.

Ayame then turned her attention to the silver blonde Priest. He seemed to be his normal, cheerful self, as if nothing had happened the night before.

“You know are staring right?” Yukito said with a kind smile, “You worry too much princess, I’m fine”

“Are you saying that just to ease my mind?”

“No, no. But…” Yukito’s smile melted away, a solemn expression taking its place, “I am unable to divine the future clearly since last night. It’s as if everything is in flux. Nothing is clear anymore”

‘ _Has this got something to do with me? Because of what I said?_ ’ Ayame thought to herself, but she didn’t say it out loud. Instead she asked, “So is that a good thing or a bad thing?”

But before Yukito could reply, the carriage stopped.

“Looks we have reached” Yukito said, peeking out of the curtains. He touched Ayame’s hand lightly and said, “I know you have a lot of questions. I promise I will answer all of them later today”

Ayame just nodded as Yukito stepped out of the carriage. An indescribable feeling gnawed away at the pit of her stomach, like a premonition. She had had a few of these before, and nothing good had ever followed them.

“Where the hell do you think you are going?”

“I will go where ever I want, what is to you!?”

The voices of her squabbling siblings shook Ayame out of her reverie. While she was busy musing, she hadn’t noticed Touya and Sakura slip out of the carriage after Yukito.

‘ _They are at it even out there_ ’ she sighed as she stepped out, closing the door behind her.

“Alright stop it both of you!” Ayame said, taking hold of Touya’s ear with one hand and Sakura’s ear with the other. “This is not the palace where you can yell at each other to your heart’s content like five year olds you hear me?” she continued, ignoring her siblings’ protests. “Touya, what would the citizens think if they saw their king being a bully to his little sister? And Sakura, is this the way to talk to your elder brother? Hmmm?”

“Fine; we’re sorry” they both chorused.

“Good” Ayame huffed as she let go of their ears.

“Alright then I’m off” Sakura chirped and she hopped away with a lunch basket towards the ruins.

“Let her go, Touya” Ayame said when she saw her brother open his mouth to protest.

Ayame giggled as Touya stomped away, then followed him.

It was typical hot afternoon in Clow kingdom. The sun beat down mercilessly and the heat made every object in the distance simmer. ‘It’s amazing how all these people get their work done in this heat’ Ayame thought, pulling up the hood of her magenta cloak to shield her face from the glare of the sun. Numerous tents dotted the area around the ruins, which stood tall and proud. Various people ran to and fro, carrying work materials and plans and a constant ‘bang-bang’ of hammering echoed throughout the entire camp – work was moving at full speed.

Ayame caught up to Touya, who was standing in the shade of the towers, talking to one of the archaeologists.

“Keep this pace up. At the end of the day make a concise report of all the work done and send it to the palace. I want to stay informed” Ayame heard Touya say. She looked on with pride at her twin brother, who looked as regal and authoritative as their father had when he was the ruler. She had always known that he would make a fine king and was pleased that Touya was filling in the shoes of King Clow Reed very well.

“What are you looking at?” Touya asked, sweeping his black hair out of his eyes.

“Well, it’s just hard to believe that you were arguing with your younger sister like a petty little child just moments ago” Ayame teased.

“Yeah whatever”

“Where is Yukito by the way?” Ayame couldn’t see the white clad priest anywhere nearby.

“I sent him ahead with some work. There is something I need to talk to you about” Touya said seriously. “Why were you not there at the meeting yesterday?”

‘ _Oh boy, I thought I had dodged that one_ ’ Ayame mentally winced. She had hoped that the events of last night would have driven this particular topic out of Touya’s mind… but then again, who was she kidding – nothing ever slips past Touya.

“I also know that Yukito had sent a messenger to inform you about the meeting and Lafarga told me that the messenger never reached you” he continued, his eyes narrowing.

“Lafarga, that idiot!” Ayame muttered under her breath.

“Why didn’t you tell me!?” Touya yelled, but not loud enough to attract attention, “Those stupid nobles! How dare they…!”

“Touya! You can’t possibly go against them!” Ayame tried to reason with him, “You need their support to govern this kingdom”

“For how long do you intend to take this insult?” Touya’s voice shook with anger, “You don’t deserve this!”

Ayame took her brother’s hand in hers and said softly, “What I deserve and what I don’t deserve is not the point. What is important is that you have all the support you need to be a good king. You already pissed them off when you made me your advisor and the Commander of the army. You shouldn’t anger them more”

Whatever Touya was about to say next, she didn’t hear – the ground began to shake violently, toppling the tents and scattering the archaeologists as they rushed to save all their work. But it was not the apparent earthquake that had Ayame’s attention. The power which rested beneath the ruins, the one which always felt like a calm lake, had begun to swirl and stir. A storm had begun raging and the intensity of it sent a shiver up Ayame’s spine.

“Ayame! Touya!” Yukito was running to where the twins were standing.

“Yukito! Are you alright?” Touya called out.

“Yes!” he panted, holding Ayame’s hand for support, “This… this is not an earthquake… Something is happening underground!”

Yukito’s words just made her panic a little more. As if to make matters worse, Ayame felt another disturbance, this time a lot closer to them.

“Something is coming!” she said to no one in particular, drawing out the two scimitars, which were hanging from her belt. Touya drew out his sword too and they both stood protectively in front of Yukito.

Almost as if on cue, the air near them began to ripple and something that could only be explained as a cut in space appeared a few yards away from them. The cut widened into an opening and people began to file out of there – people dressed from head to toe in black armour with a red bat-shaped sigil plastered on their shoulder plates.

“Where the hell are all these people coming from!?” Touya growled, his eyes darting to and fro, counting all the assailants.

“From another dimension” The words sprang from Ayame’s lips without a thought, as if remembered from a long forgotten memory.

The soldiers all had claws instead of swords and had already began attacking the people around them.

“Alright brother mine, looks like it’s time for sword practice” Ayame smirked as she took her battle stance.

“The one who takes down most of these bastards wins”

With a curt nod, the twins flew off into opposite directions, cutting and hacking as they went. Soon Ayame found herself surrounded by five of the black soldiers, all poised to attack.

“Five on one is not fair, is it?” Ayame asked, while shifting to a position which was the most defendable.

One of the soldiers charged forward, his claws aimed at her. Ayame dodged the claws with ease and slashed his chest. Blood spurted out as she pushed him into one of his companions and both of them crashed to the ground. She knocked the wind out of the third soldier with an expertly placed kick and using the momentum it gave her, charged at the fourth and cut open his throat with one clean swipe. The second soldier had just managed to push his dead companion off him when Ayame plunged one of her scimitars right into his heart, killing him instantly. Few more soldiers had gathered around her, but instead of charging at her confidently, this time they all seemed a little wary.

Now Ayame made the first move and she systematically began taking the enemy down – kick, slash, punch, thrust; she kept up a steady rhythm and soon all the soldiers lay dead or dying around her. ‘Serves you right you filthy bastards’ she thought, wiping away the blood from her face. She checked herself for any injuries, but apart from a few tears on her cloak and jacket, she seemed to be fine.

She scanned the camp for more of the black soldiers, but between her, Touya and the few soldiers from the Clow army she had posted around the ruins, all of the attackers from the other world had been taken care of. She spotted Yukito on the other side of the camp and began walking towards him when she saw his eyes widen in fear.

“Ayame behind you!”

Ayame turned and managed to dodge the attack just in time, but not fast enough, earning a vertical cut above her right eyebrow. One of the soldiers she had assumed to be dead was standing in front of her, panting heavily as he prepared to charge again. But Ayame was too quick for him and she drove both her scimitars into his chest without a second thought.

“Are you okay?” Yukito asked, running towards her.

“Yeah, yeah… except for this” Ayame said, pointing to the cut, which was bleeding profusely now, “It’s going to end up as a scar”

“It looks pretty badass if you ask me” Yukito chuckled.

“So then, how many did you kill?” a smug voice asked from behind them.

Ayame turned around, a cheeky reply already there at the tip of her tongue; but when her eyes fell on Touya, her mind went completely blank in panic. He was still standing, but his skin was sickly pale and he was breathing very heavily. He then lost his balance and was about fall down when Ayame caught him, just in time.

“Touya! TOUYA!” Ayame screamed in panic as her twin lost consciousness.

“The blade the assailants used, it must have been poisoned” Yukito replied, his voice trembling as he helped Ayame set Touya down. “Ayame that cut above your eye…” Yukito continued but she cut him short.

“Don’t fuss about that now! You know poisons mostly have no effect on me!”

“Ayame-san!”

Ayame turned to the source of the voice, relieved to hear that at least someone was alright. But her relief immediately turned into despair when she saw her sister in Syaoran’s arms unconscious instead of running beside him as she had expected. Ayame ran the rest of the distance to him. When she did reach him, she brushed her hand on Sakura’s forehead, but recoiled instantly. Her heart started pounding in her chest, ‘I… I can’t feel her soul anymore! She’s gone cold!’

“Ayame-san… I don’t what happened… the ruins… feathers…” Syaoran tried to explain; his eyes wide and filled with desperation at his inability to do so. He kneeled while still holding Sakura, struggling to find the right words.

Ayame placed her hand on his head to comfort him. “It’s alright Syaoran” she said with calm she was definitely not feeling, “Take a deep breath and tell me what happened”

“That won’t be necessary” Yukito said quietly. Ayame hadn’t noticed the High Priest walk up to them. “Touya is not fine now, but he will be Ayame. I won’t let him die” he added looking at Ayame. He then kneeled down next to Syaoran “I will read your memories, it will be much quicker”

While Yukito went through Syaoran’s memories, Ayame took a deep breath to steady her reeling mind. It was just too much to process. The kingdom attacked by mysterious assailants, her brother poisoned, her sister’s body soulless in the arms of the boy who was like family to her. The power in the… the power in the ruins! ‘ _It’s… it’s locked up… I can’t feel it anymore! What the hell is going on around here?!_ ’

‘ _The chaos is almost at hand, Princess_ ’

Yukito’s words from the night before sprang into her mind uninvited. Could it be? Could the trouble Yukito had predicted be starting right now?

“The princess’ feathers scattered, didn’t they?” Yukito asked, unable to keep worry out of his voice.

“Yes!” Syaoran answered desperately.

“Feathers?”

“Something inside the ruins forced Sakura’s soul to manifest outside her body in the form of wings, composed of numerous feathers” Yukito explained, getting up.

“Wait a minute! If the feathers are gone that means…” Ayame couldn’t complete the sentence, she didn’t want to accept what had happened.

“Those feathers were her memories, all of them, since the day she was born… they are all gone now. The princess has lost her soul” Yukito said gravely, confirming Ayame’s worst fear.

“If she doesn’t get them back she will die!” Ayame cried out, but regretted it immediately – Syaoran froze when he heard the words, staring at Sakura’s unconscious form in disbelief. ‘I can’t lose control like that, I have to be strong!’

Syaoran held Sakura tighter in his arms, “There has to be something!” he said, his voice trembling slightly, “There has to be something I can do!”

Ayame felt Yukito’s magic swirl around him as he summoned the moon staff of the High Priest of Clow, “There will be no hesitation” he said quietly, “I will send you to another world, to the place where wishes are granted by a person with the same power of the moon”

“Wait!” Ayame said, clenching her fists, “I am going with him”

She had had enough. She had stood on the side lines for far too long. Touya had been right – she had quietly taken every insult the nobles handed out to her without a protest. She stood by doing nothing as he and Yukito debated with the nobles at every meeting for her sake. She had stood by helpless when her mother died. She had accepted everything life had thrown at her without a single struggle. But not this time.

‘ _No more! I promised I will protect Sakura at all costs. I don’t care what destiny has in store_ ’

“Yuki…” she said softly, “I know… I know that Syaoran is the one, the only one who can save Sakura. But I want to help… no, I can help!” she added firmly. “Please, you have to let me go!”

Yukito looked like he was about to protest, but then understanding flashed through his face. “Alright” he said with a small smile.

“Just a moment” Ayame said as she ran over to where Touya was lying down. She kneeled down next to him and gently cupped his face with her hands.

“A-ya-me…” Touya said weakly, his eyelids struggling to open.

“Now don’t strain yourself” she said softly, “I came to say goodbye Touya. There is something I have do… and for that I have to leave”

“There is nothing I can do… to stop you… can I?” he whispered.

“Nothing at all” she whispered back, kissing his forehead.

She walked back to where Syaoran was with a heavy heart – it hurt her more than anything to leave her brother in a state like that, but she had made up her mind. Touya would understand.

“Ayame-san…” Syaoran said, looking up at her as she took her place next to him.

Ayame placed an arm on Syaoran’s shoulder, “Everything will be alright” she said, both to him and herself. She then looked at Yukito and asked, “This person you are sending us to, who is it? What do we do when we get there?”

“She is called the Witch of the Dimensions” Yukito answered, twirling his staff. A magic circle appeared beneath their feet. The air began to move in circles around them, in tune with the magic as the ground they were standing on began to liquefy and rise around them.

“Tell her everything” Yukito shouted, struggling to make himself heard above the roaring of the wind, “Find a way to save her”  
With that, the ground engulfed them, spitting them out into an empty space shaped somewhat like a tunnel. Ayame had never experienced anything like this before – it was as if she was just floating freely, but the small lights, which seemed to be inlaid into the grey-black walls of the tunnel, hurtled past them; indicating that they were moving. But before she could make sense of what was happening, she felt the familiar tug of gravity as they were pulled to one side. Then just as suddenly as the whole thing began, they were dropped to the ground.

Ayame steadied herself. They had landed in front of little, queer house which was surrounded by structures whose height could rival that of the ruins of Clow. It was quite a sight to take in, but that’s not what demanded Ayame’s attention.

In front of them stood a tall, pale, graceful woman, dressed in a gown which was as black as her poker straight hair. Her red-eyes eyed them curiously – as is she had been waiting for them.

“Are you the Witch of the Dimensions?” Ayame asked.

She tilted her head ever so slightly as she answered, “I have been called that”

Ayame was about to state their purpose but Syaoran beat her to it. “Please! Help save Sakura!” he cried out.

As the witch began moving towards them to take a look at Sakura, Ayame’s gut told her that nothing was going to be the same ever again.


	2. The Price of Memories

“This child, her name is Sakura you say, right?” the witch asked

“Yes” Syaoran answered. It took all his strength to keep his voice from trembling.

The witch then turned her red eyes to him and asked, “And your name is…?”

“Syaoran”

He was kneeling in front of a little house, surrounded by a few of the tallest structures he had ever seen in all his travels. Syaoran was beginning to understand what the High Priest had said about this being a different world – everything about this place felt unfamiliar to him; everything from the grass below his feet, the air he breathed… even the rain which fell gently all around him felt different from the rainfall back in Clow.

Clow kingdom…

Suddenly, everything that happened in Clow kingdom hit him with full force. The underground passage, the wings, the feathers, Sakura’s cold body which he was still holding, the injured King, the black armoured soldiers lying in a pool of their own blood… all the images flooded into his mind one after the other, faster than he could process them. His body threatened to collapse under the pressure when he felt a familiar grip on his right shoulder. Throughout the journey from Clow to this place, Ayame had not taken her hand off his shoulder, the hand she had placed when they were standing in front the High Priest.

Syaoran raised his head to look at the crown princess. Ayame’s face was a picture of perfect calm as she observed the Dimensional Witch, who had moved towards them and was now gently touching Sakura’s forehead. Syaoran’s heart grew heavy as he tried to put himself in her shoes, to understand what she was going through – she had to say goodbye to her injured brother and now she was here with him, desperate to save her younger sister. It was impossible for her to be as calm as she projected herself to be. ‘ _She is keeping it together, for mine and Sakura’s sake_ ’ He took a deep breath and drew strength from the Princess’ hand. He needed to stay calm too; he had to, if he wanted to help save Sakura.

“This child has lost something very important, hasn’t she?” the witch asked, her eyes filled with sorrow.

“She has lost her soul,” Ayame answered, pulling up the hood of her cloak to shield her face from the rain, “The fragments have scattered across various worlds”

The Dimensional Witch took a step back and studied Ayame carefully. Her deep red eyes bore into the princess’ lilac ones with a small frown, as if assessing them. Ayame’s eye twitched in irritation but she held the witch’s stare unflinchingly. After a few long seconds, the frown melted away to make way for a small smile. “So… this is how the universe it worked out…” she said quietly, her voice barely audible in the pitter-patter of the rain.

“What… what do you mean by that? I don’t understand!” Ayame asked, mirroring Syaoran’s confusion.

The Witch ignored the question, addressing a young, bespectacled boy standing behind her, “Watanuki, go to the storeroom. There is something I need there” She then looked at the sky with a smirk and said, “They’re coming”

Syaoran had no time to ask what she meant by that. He held Sakura closer to him when the ground to his left began to shift and rise up; while to his right, a part of the sky seemed to drop down. Ayame’s tightened grip on his shoulder told Syaoran that she was just as surprised as the bubbles burst, revealing two young men – one dressed in black, holding a long sword; the other dressed in white furs holding a staff.

Both of them spoke at the same time.

“Who the hell are you?” the man dressed in black growled, not caring about how obviously rude he sounded.

“Are you the Witch of Dimensions?” asked the other one politely.

The Dimensional Witch regarded both of them with an amused smile before holding her hand out to the man with the sword, “You first”

“I’m Kurogane” he said gruffly, still not caring to change his manner, “And where the hell am I?”

The Witch, also noticing his rough attitude, mockingly answered, “Japan”

The answer only annoyed Kurogane, “Well, I came from Japan lady and this ain’t it!”

“This is a different Japan” the Witch said cryptically, clearly not interested in giving Kurogane a straight answer.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean!?” he snarled.

She ignored Kurogane’s comment and turned to the other visitor. “And you will be…?”

The man curtsied elegantly and said, “I’m a Celes country wizard. Fai D. Flowright”

‘ _Are they both from another world too?_ ’ Syaoran wondered.

“You know where you are, right?” the Witch asked.

“Yes” Fai answered, “A place where wishes can be granted at a proper or high price”

“So then tell me, what is your wish?”

Again, both men answered together.

“I want to return to where I’m from” Kurogane said, while Fai said the exact opposite, “I want to never return to where I’m from”

“Hmmm… now that’s very difficult… for both of you…” the Witch said thoughtfully, “No… for all four of you. Those wishes you have, if you pay separately, it won’t be enough. But… if you pay together, it might just reach the mark”

Syaoran felt Ayame move restlessly behind, surely facing the same dilemma – what did all of this mean?

“What the hell are you talking about!?” Kurogane snarled.

“Please be quiet, Kuro” Fai whispered teasingly.

“IT’S KUROGANE!”

“All four of you have the same wish” the Witch continued, ignoring the little exchange between Fai and Kurogane, “Syaoran and the crown princess want to go to different worlds to collect this young girls’ memories. Kurogane, being from a different world wants to go back home. Fai, you want to go live in a world other than your own. All of you want to go to different worlds for your own reasons. It’s not possible to grant each one of your wishes… but together, it can be done”

‘ _So… it means I will have to travel with them?_ ’

Syaoran looked at his possible companions. He couldn’t think of a pair more unlike each other. The man called Kurogane was all rough and rude, not at all caring for his surroundings. On the other hand, the wizard was calm and polite and elegant, well at least he appeared to be. He had been prepared for a tough journey, he knew searching for the feathers was not going to be easy… but he had not expected to be accompanied by two strangers from another world.

‘ _It doesn’t matter_ ’ he told himself, ‘ _I just have to keep moving forward with everything I’ve got_ ’

“DAMMIT!” Kurogane yelled out in frustration, startling Syaoran.

“She asked him for his sword as payment” Ayame answered his unspoken question softly so that only he could hear, “He isn’t very happy about it”

“When this is over I will comeback for it!” he said, handing over his sword, “You can count on it!”

Syaoran saw a fire burning in the warriors’ fierce, bright red eyes – there was no doubt about it; he will come back for his sword.

“Your payment” the Witch said, turning to Fai, “Will be the tattoo on your back”

“Will this wand not do?” he asked, holding out the staff in his hand with a smile; but Syaoran noticed that it didn’t quite reach his brilliant blue eyes.

“The price has to be your most valuable thing” the Witch replied quietly.

“I guess I have no choice then” he sighed, his cheerful demeanour slipping as he shook his blonde hair out of the hood of his cloak.

Almost immediately, Fai’s back glowed and an image appeared. The phoenix shaped tattoo then floated and came to a halt near Kurogane’s sword.

“Now… Princess Ayame” the Witch said, “You have to give up the silver bracelet on your left wrist as payment if you wish to go on this journey”

‘ _How did she know Ayame-san’s name… she never told her…_ ’ Syaoran wondered.

Ayame slowly took her hand off Syaoran’s shoulder to look at the said bracelet. It was nothing special – a simple chain bracelet attached to which a small pendant shaped like a crescent moon was attached. But Syaoran knew that it was very special to her; it was the only thing she had left of her mother, the late Queen Nadeshiko.

Ayame took a deep breath as she held out her left arm. “Take it”

Syaoran saw Kurogane turn around sharply as Ayame spoke, his eyes widening in surprise. But he didn’t think much about it, all his attention was focused on the princess.

“Are you sure?” the Witch asked, her eyes narrowing. To Syaoran it looked as if she was hoping that Ayame will refuse to make the payment and forfeit.

But she didn’t back down. “I have never been surer”

The Dimensional Witch let out a defeated sigh, “Very well then”

With a small ‘click’, the bracelet removed itself smoothly from Ayame’s wrist and floated over to where the tattoo and sword were.

The sound of light footsteps caught everyone’s attention. The young boy whom the Witch had sent in earlier came back, carrying two, plump creatures with big ears. Both of them had a round jewel fixed in the middle of their foreheads. The Dimensional Witch picked up the white creature, leaving the black one with the boy.

“Her name is Mokona Modoki” she explained “She will take you to different dimensions”

“You have another one right there” Kurogane said, pointing towards the black creature, “I will take that one”

“That one is only for communication” the Witch replied, smirking at Kurogane’s attempt to run off on his own, “All she can do is communicate with the white Mokona”

“Mokona can take you to another dimension, but she can’t control where you land. Your wish becoming true is only by luck… but…” she added with a mysterious smile, “There is no such thing as coincidences in this world, there is only destiny. All of you were destined to meet each other”

‘ _Destiny? Was it Sakura’s destiny to lose her soul?_ ’ Syaoran shook the thought out of his head.

“Syaoran…”

“Yes” he replied, bracing himself.

“To you, your most important thing is your relationship with that girl” the Witch said quietly, “So that will be your payment”

“No…” Ayame gasped as Syaoran’s heart began to pound in his chest.

“What does that mean?” he asked, trying to keep his voice steady.

“Even if she gets all her memories back, you will not have the same relationship with her as before” the Witch explained, “She will never remember you”

‘ _She will never remember me…?_ ’ Syaoran thought, the gravity of the situation slowly sinking in.

“No you can’t! You can’t do that to them! There has to be something else!” Ayame shouted desperately.

“What is she to you?” the Witch asked him, ignoring Ayame’s protest.

What was she to him? She was the warmest, kindest person he had ever known. She was curious sometimes to the point of being reckless. She was over active and clumsy. She was the one who would always try and help everyone around her. But what was she to him?

“My childhood friend…” he heard himself say, as if the words were tumbling out of his mouth on their own accord, “The princess of my country… and someone who is very important to me!”

“I see” the Witch said sympathetically, “Are you ready to sacrifice your relationship with her in order to save her”

Syaoran looked at the unconscious Sakura in his arms. He remembered how all those years ago, it was Sakura’s warm smile that taught him how to smile; she was the one who taught him how to laugh. Now, it was his turn… his turn to bring the smile back on the face of his best friend. But did he have the strength to do it, knowing that when she does smile back at him again, it will never be as it was before?

‘ _Yes I do have the strength_ ’ a voice inside him spoke up as his shoulders trembled just so slightly with emotion, ‘ _No matter what pain I have to go through, I will do anything, give up anything, to bring that smile on Sakura’s face again!_ ’

“Syaoran…” Ayame whispered.

“I’ll go” Syaoran finally replied, tightening his grip on Sakura, “I will not let her die!”

“Alright then” the Witch said, tilting her head with a smile.

She then addressed both Ayame and Syaoran, “Even though Mokona will take you from one world to another, you will have to look for the feathers on your own. Travelling through the worlds will be tougher than you think. People you know from past worlds, will have separate lives in separate worlds. If someone is nice to you in one world, there is no guarantee that they will be the same when you see them in another world. There are worlds where common sense can’t be understood, living standards and rules are different in different worlds; some worlds are torn apart by war while some are filled with liars. You will have to keep travelling through all this, searching for the feathers without knowing where, or when they will be gathered. But, you two are still determined right?”

“We are ready to do whatever it takes” Ayame replied while Syaoran nodded in agreement.

“Readiness and sincerity are qualities that are indispensable to accomplish anything. Qualities you are properly provided with” the Witch said, releasing Mokona. The winds began to gather around the little white creature, lifting her up.

“Now… please get going”

The words seemed like conformation to Mokona, who sprouted huge, magnificent wings from her back. A magic circle appeared at their feet and the ground began to liquefy and rise around them – just like it had in Clow.

As everyone was thrown into the tunnel with the moving lights, Syaoran held Sakura closer to him.

‘ _Just hang in there Sakura, you are going to be fine_ ’

**XXX**

“You should wipe yourself dry, Kuro” Fai smiled, holding out a towel, “Or else you will catch a cold”

“Catch a cold, catch a cold!” Mokona sang in her squeaky voice, hopping around him.

“I won’t catch a cold…” Kurogane growled, clenching his fists, “AND MY NAME IS KUROGANE!”

Kurogane sat down in the corner of the square room and folded his arms over to chest to keep his irritation in control. All he wanted to do was to get back home. Why did it have to be so difficult? First he had to give up his sword to the Witch, then he was swallowed up by a pork bun with wings, only to end up in another strange world with those weird buildings again. It was bad enough that he landed hard on his butt, then he had to end up carrying both the brown haired boy and his princess into this room because he refused to let go of her even when he was unconscious. Not to forget that annoying blonde mage who kept coming up with one annoying nickname after another. And then there was her…

Kurogane looked at the petite figure lying in the other end of the room, wrapped up in her magenta cloak, the gentle rise and fall of her chest visible as she slept off the effects of the travel. His heart had skipped a beat when the Witch addressed her as Princess Ayame, then he had almost immediately dismissed it as coincidence; two people can have the same name after all. But when she spoke, her voice was just too familiar for him to ignore anymore. He remembered the Dimensional Witch saying something about same people in different worlds… no… it can’t possibly be happening.

“Kuro-chan is staring at the Princess again eh?” Fai teased.

‘ _Dammit_ ’ he cursed himself, ‘ _That mage noticed_ ’

“Mokona remembers!” the little white creature chirped, “Even when we landed, the first thing Kuro-puu wanted to do was to see her face”

“Stop calling me names, you stupid pork bun!” Kurogane scowled. He had no obligation to explain himself to these nut jobs.

Kurogane let out an irritated sigh as Fai and Mokona burst into a fit of giggles. He was just about to close his eyes and ignore everything around him when a small movement caught the corner of his eye – all the shouting and giggling had finally woken her up.

“Where am I?” Ayame asked sleepily.

“She’s finally awake” Fai said, looking over at Kurogane to see his reaction.

“Sakura! Syaoran!” Ayame cried out, as if she suddenly remembered everything that happened a while back and rushed to the side of the kids immediately.

“Both of them are still asleep, but they seem to be ok” Fai said reassuringly.

“That’s good” she sighed, lowering the hood of her cloak.

Kurogane’s heart hammered away in his chest as his eyes widened with surprise. For all these years, he had always wondered what she would have looked like if she had survived. Now he didn’t need to, the answer was sitting right in front him. The hair, the eyes, the relieved smile – there was no mistaking it.

‘ _No!_ ’ he told himself, ‘ _Don’t get emotionally carried away. It’s not possible_ ’

Ayame had removed her cloak and was now busy removing the shoes from the feet of both the kids.

“Can you hand me a towel…? Ayame trailed, looking at Fai.

“You can call me Fai” he answered, smiling as he gave her a fresh towel, “I did wipe them both tentatively”

“Mokona helped too!” Mokona sang as she hopped into Ayame’s lap.

“Did you now…” Ayame asked playfully, tickling Mokona behind her ear, “Thank you”

“And you are…?” Fai asked.

“Oh right! I’m so sorry” Ayame said, as she gently began to wipe the boy’s face, “I’m Ayame”

‘ _What kind of a name is Ayame anyway?_ ’ ‘ _Don’t say that! It means Iris flower_ ’ ‘ _You’re no flower! Look at how dirty your clothes are from all the tree climbing_ ’ ‘ _Hawwww! Kuro-chan you meanie!_ ’

Kurogane shook the memory out of his head, irritated with himself.

“Syaoran, you’re awake!”

The brown haired boy had woken up now, though he seemed to be a little on edge. “Ayame-san… where are we…?”

 Ayame gently took the boy’s hand in hers said, “It’s alright Syaoran, we seem to be safe for now”

“Oh we are, don’t worry!” Fai reassured them, “A lovely young couple gave this room when you both were asleep. I’m sure it’s ok”

But Syaoran and Ayame weren’t listening, they were busy looking at the young girl.

“Ayame-san, she is so cold…” Syaoran said, distressed.

“I know” Ayame said gravely, “We need to find a feather… fast”

Suddenly, Fai lunged towards Syaoran, reaching for something that seemed to be behind his back, startling everyone.

“Ummm… Fai-san, what are you doing?” Ayame asked.

“Will this happen to be what you are looking for?” Fai asked, straightening up.

Kurogane leaned forward to get a closer look. Fai was holding what looked like a soft, white feather. It had a pink, heart shaped design on the centre.

‘ _That can’t be a soul fragment_ ’ Kurogane thought, frowning.

“It was stuck to Syaoran-kun” Fai continued, handing over the feather to Ayame, who held it carefully, “It’s the only one though”

“Ayame-san, it is a fragment of Sakura’s memory!” Syaoran said, lighting up a little. “But how do we give it back to her?” he added with a small frown.

Ayame seemed to be contemplating the same question. Her eyes darted to and fro between the feather in her hands and the girl called Sakura.

“Now what if I do this…” she said to no one in particular, as she slowly placed the feather on the girls’ chest.

‘ _Like that is going to… No way!_ ’

Kurogane held his breath as Sakura’s chest began to ripple and the feather slowly sank into her.

“Her body is gaining warmth” Syaoran said, finally cracking a smile.

Ayame placed a hand on the girl’s forehead and breathed a sigh of relief, “She would’ve died if it wasn’t for that feather”

“I guess it was a happy coincidence that the feather got stuck to my clothes…” Syaoran said.

“There is no such thing as coincidence, there is only destiny” Fai said, capturing everyone’s attention, “That’s what the witch said right? Syaoran-kun must have caught the feather unconsciously, to help her”

Kurogane knew what bullshit sounded like and he knew that the mage was full of it. He seemed to be taking everything that was happening a little too calmly, as if he had expected all this to happen. That annoyingly cheerful smile, the easy going attitude, the way he just happened to notice the feather stuck to the kids’ clothes… Kurogane wasn’t buying any of it. Blondie was hiding something; he would bet his sword on it, if he had one that is.

Kurogane ran his eyes over the others to see their reaction to Fai’s little explanation. It looked like the boy seemed to buy it – he was now smiling at the mage who was busy tickling Mokona. But Ayame was regarding Fai quizzically, as if she was trying to figure out what he was hiding. She had the same doubts as Kurogane.

‘ _She always has been a little too smart for her own good_ ’ a voice inside him spoke up, but Kurogane chose to ignore it.

“So how are we going to search for the feathers?” Fai asked.

At this, Mokona hopped up and down excitedly singing, “Mokona knows! Yes she does!”

“Really?” Ayame said curiously, picking up Mokona, “Tell me, how?”

“Just now there was a strong wave from the feather” Mokona explained, waving her tiny arms, “If it is close, I’ll know. When I catch a wave, Mokona will become like this” Saying that, Mokona opened her eyes with a sound which went ‘Mekyo!’

 Kurogane hadn’t noticed before that Mokona always kept her eyes closed. Now seeing them, he understood why – it had to be one of the strangest sights he had ever seen. Mokona’s eyes were deep violet in colour and they were huge for a creature that size, but that was not the disturbing part. It was the lack of any life in them. Kurogane felt that he would fall into those blank eyes and lose himself if he looked at them too long. Syaoran seemed equally unnerved by the sight and the look on Ayame’s face told him that it was taking every ounce of her self-control not drop Mokona. Fai, on the other hand seemed undeterred, amused even.

‘ _Again… it’s as if nothing fazes him_ ’ Kurogane thought, glaring at the mage.

“It will be great” Fai chipped, “If the feather is close by, Mokona will sense it”

“Will you tell me when the feathers are close by?” Syaoran asked.

“Just leave it to me!” Mokona sang, thumping her chest.

“Thank you, Mokona” Ayame smiled, kissing her on her forehead.

“Mokona likes it” the white creature giggled.

‘ _This is just great!_ ’ Kurogane cursed.

He had just too many weird things for one day. He wanted go back home. He wanted to go back to Shirasagi Castle and fight day in and day out. He had not signed up to go on some stupid journey. He would tolerate his so-called travelling companions because he had no choice. But there was no way he was going to be pulled in to this chase for some glowing feathers. Not a chance.

“Whether or not you get to search for the feathers is up to you,” Kurogane said after getting all his thoughts in order, “But this treasure hunt of yours has got nothing to do with me”

“Ah yes! I forgot to introduce him” Fai said with a flourish, “This is Kuro-tan!”

“MY NAME IS KUROGANE!” he roared before he could control himself.

He took a deep breath to calm himself and continued, this time fixing his eyes on Ayame, “I came here to return to my world. That is my only purpose. I have absolutely no intention of helping you”

Kurogane patiently waited as Ayame’s lilac eyes viewed him curiously, a small smile playing on her lips. “I understand” she finally said. “Yes” Syaoran said, “It is our problem. We will do our best to handle it without getting you involved, Kurogane-san” “And we also apologise in advance for any inconvenience we might cause you during our search” Ayame concluded.

Kurogane couldn’t help but be astounded. He expected some form of rebuke, something on the lines of ‘Why won’t you help us?’ or ‘How can you be so insensitive?’ But he didn’t expect them to accept his decision so easily, let alone apologise for any possible trouble they might cause. Kurogane looked at them to check if they were lying. The boys eyes were clear, the sincerity in them plain for everyone to see. Ayame’s eyes shone with the same sincerity, but her lilac eyes also showed a slight glint of mischief, as if she knew exactly what was going on in his mind and was amused by it. It was just a guess of course but he was pretty sure that was the case – he had received the same look before after all.

“What about you?” Kurogane asked Fai, trying to divert the attention from him, “Are you going to help these two?”

“Hmmm… I will” Fai said, “Returning to my world isn’t my priority. I’ll help as long as my life is not in risk. There isn’t anything else to do”

“Yo!” A voice announced.

A young man carrying a bowl of food and a young woman carrying a tray of tea walked into the room. Kurogane recognised the two; they were the ones who gave them this room. Syaoran and Ayame both looked on edge while Fai just waved at them.

“Relax you guys” Fai reassured them, “This is the couple I told you about, they gave us this room”

“Yeah, relax!” the man said energetically, “You came from Yuuko-san’s place right?”

“Yuuko-san?” Syaoran asked.

“The Witch Nee-chan” the man answered, setting down the plate of food he was carrying, “The Witch of Dimensions or the Far East Witch; she’s called by many names”

‘ _So the Witch has a name huh?_ ’ Kurogane thought, ‘ _Will have to remember that when I go to get my sword back_ ’

The young woman handed Syaoran and Ayame a futon. They both tucked Sakura in comfortably as the man introduced himself, “I’m Arisugawa Sorata”

“I’m Arashi” the young woman said, now distributing steaming cups of tea to everyone.

“By the way everyone,” Sorata said with a dreamy smile, “This is my lovely wife. Engrave that in your minds” He then turned to Kurogane and patted him on his shoulder, “So, if you flirt with my honey, I will kill you”

Kurogane could feel his blood boil, “WHY IS IT ONLY ME!?” he yelled.

“By the way, did Yuuko-san give you this?” Sorata asked, picking up Mokona.

“The name is Mokona Modoki!” Mokona squeaked.

Mokona then explained the entire situation to Sorata, who listened to the whole thing with no question; which surprised and annoyed Kurogane. How can anyone accept such a ridiculous story!

“Well I have to say you guys are lucky” Sorata said thoughtfully.

“In what way?” Fai asked, sipping his tea.

“Because, this is the first world you guys arrived at… and there is nothing but happiness” Sorata said as he walked towards the window. “Here it is – The Republic of Hanshin!” he said, pulling the windows open.

Kurogane moved to the window to get a better view – and it was a marvellous sight to behold. Buildings of various shapes and sizes spread out till as far as the eye could see, some adorned with elaborate decorations in the shape of various animals, while some had flat surfaces with moving pictures mounted on them. But one thing was common among them all – the lights. Lights of every imaginable hue and shade danced everywhere; some twinkling, some blazing, some moving slowly, some dancing. The lights were so bright that a multi-coloured glow extended into the pitch black night sky, making the stars in look dim.

“This is amazing” a voice whispered with awe.

Ayame was standing right next to Kurogane, her lilac eyes wide and shining with wonder as she drank the sight sprawled out in front of her. Kurogane couldn’t help but smile at her childlike innocence.

‘ _Don’t cry Kuro-chan… we will meet again. I am certain of it_ ’

Those parting words had never made sense to him. But now, as he stood next to the young lady who was the spitting image of the little girl he had held so close to his heart, he felt he was beginning to understand. May be there is no such thing as coincidence after all.


	3. Guardian Spirit

“This is amazing” Ayame whispered, mesmerized.

Never had she in her entire life seen something as marvellous as the dazzling lights of Hanshin Republic. Even the grandest festivals of Clow did not have half the glamour of the city that she was gazing upon. She would have continued staring if the small tickle in her nose hadn’t distracted her. Soon the small tickle built up and she sneezed softly. ‘ _I need to be careful not to catch a cold_ ’ she thought, sniffing.

“Well, you haven’t got the rain off you yet. What do you expect?” a voice said gruffly, as if reading her mind.

Ayame turned around with a small gasp.  Kurogane was standing a little away from her, watching her with a small smile, which vanished the moment she faced him.

“Here,” he held out a towel, “Staring out of the window ain’t gonna help you get dry”

An embarrassed flush spread across Ayame’s face when she realised that he had seen her gaping out of the window. She mentally slapped herself for behaving like a child.

“Umm… thanks” she said sheepishly, taking the towel from the ninja’s hands.

When she turned her attention back to the Kurogane, she couldn’t help but inhale sharply, startled by what she saw. The man seemed to be surrounded by a light red mist, which danced and swirled around him in sync with every small move he made – expect for near his forehead, where the mist was a soft shade of purple. However she saw this just for a fraction of a second; Ayame blinked once and the scene in front of her returned to normal, as if the whole thing was just a figment of her imagination. But a nagging feeling in the back of her head told her it wasn’t.

“What’s with the funny look?” Kurogane asked, his red eyes narrowing.

Ayame pleaded her pounding heart to quiet down as all the gears in her brain whirred to find a way out of this spot.

“Nothing” she managed with a small smile, “I was just wondering why you were being so nice all of a sudden” When Kurogane’s nose crinkled just slightly in irritation, she continued more confidently, ”I thought you wanted nothing to do with us all”

Kurogane just grunted in response and turned to reclaim his spot in the corner of the room, muttering as he sat down heavily. Ayame couldn’t help but giggle at little at the man’s reaction, she could see why the wizard kept coming up with silly nicknames for him – irritating Kurogane was both easy and fun.

Ayame’s mind quickly went back to her little problem as she went to join Syaoran and the others, who were listening to Sorata explain the history of Hanshin Republic with the help of a small hand puppet. ‘ _It was definitely his aura that I saw swirling around him, there is absolutely no doubt._ ’ But she didn’t understand how it was possible. The last time she had seen somebody’s aura was… well a long time ago. A lot of things had happened after that and she had lost her magic, though she had still retained her ability to sense it. Or so her father had told her. Was it possible that he had gotten it all wrong?

Various thoughts and possibilities jumped around in her head as she stared at her now empty left wrist. Back in Yuuko’s shop, when the bracelet left her hand, she had felt something stir inside her – as if something was waking up from a long, deep slumber. But that would mean… no… her father had given her that bracelet, to remember her mother. ‘ _That’s absolutely ridiculous. There has to be another logical explanation_ ’ she told herself, shaking the thought out.

"Pay attention!" Sorata yelled suddenly, pointing a finger at Kurogane.

Ayame jumped just in time to see something hit the tanned man right on the top of his head. Her battle instincts kicked in immediately without a second thought. Her hands moved to her belt on their own to draw out her scimitars, but she felt nothing. She let out a small groan, of course they were not on her belt. She had left them back in Clow, buried in the chest of one of those black armoured bastards. Meanwhile Fai and Kurogane were alert as well, looking around to find the source of the attack while Syaoran immediately jumped protectively in front of the still sleeping Sakura.

"I did not sense anything," Kurogane growled, rubbing the victimised spot on his head. "Did you throw something at me?" he yelled at Sorata.

"If he did the angle of shock would be different. It was from the top" Fai said and Ayame knew he was right. She pushed all her questions about magic and seals to the back of her mind; she could ponder over them later. What was happening right now needed her full attention.

Sorata just stared at them, his eyebrows raised in confusion "What are you guys getting so worked up about? I just used my Kudan…"

"Kudan?" Ayame, Syaoran, Fai and Kurogane asked in unison.

"Oh yeah! You guys are from a different dimension, so you don't know about it" Sorata exclaimed, more to himself than everyone around him. He then cleared his throat and continued in a very school-teacher manner "Everything in this world is haunted by a Kudan."

"What do you mean by haunted?" Ayame asked.

“Kudans are like guardian spirits, everybody has one watching over them” Arashi replied, "Even if you are from another dimension, you will still have a Kudan"

Ayame couldn’t help but feel amazed. The sheer amount of power this world must have to give not only every person, but also travellers like them a personal spirit was simply astounding. But then again, power like that could create problems as well.

"Searching for Sakura's feathers can bring conflict" Ayame said quietly.

Syaoran’s brow furrowed with worry, “Ayame-san… what do you mean?”

“Fragments of a soul have a certain power” she explained, “If someone has managed to take possession of a feather, there is no guarantee they will just give it to us. We may have to fight to get it back”

“You needn’t worry about getting into a fight” Arashi said reassuringly, “Kudans can be used as weapons”

“How can you use a spirit in battle?” Kurogane asked the question which was on Ayame’s mind as well. 

"What it is, and how to use it, that's something you have to see for yourself," Sorata said with a cryptic smile, "To understand a Kudan, you have to see it with your own eyes"

“But you know, all this talk about fighting is pointless without asking the golden question” Ayame said, giving Syaoran a knowing look.

Syaoran caught on. He gently picked Mokona and asked, “Is the princess’ feather in this country, Mokona-chan”

Mokona took a deep breath and closed her eyes to concentrate. “There is a feather in this country” she said softly, “It’s somewhere far away… but it’s there”

Ayame breathed a sigh of relief. She was one step closer to getting her sister back, even if it was just one tiny step.

“So it’s settled then, we’ll take care of you guys till you find the feather” Sorata said cheerfully.

“Is it really ok to stay here?” Sorata and Arashi seemed like really nice people. Ayame didn’t want to inconvenience them in anyway.

“Oh don’t worry about it” Sorata said, “We are in Yuuko-san’s debt. This is our hotel. You guys can stay here till you go to another world”

Ayame had this feeling that the Dimensional Witch sent them all to this world on purpose. It was all too easy – this world seemed devoid of wars, they had almost immediately found people who had taken them in and given them shelter, and a feather was present in this world; but still it was not similar to any of their home worlds. It was as if Yuuko was breaking in the concept of dimensional travelling to them slowly.

"Alright guys it's almost midnight, time to sleep!” Sorata announced, “The boys can move to the other room while the girls can use this one!"

"Okay!" Fai chimed while Kurogane yelled in annoyance, "Why do I have to share a room with him!"

Out of the corner of her eye Ayame saw Syaoran nod half-heartedly, his eyes lingering on Sakura. It was obvious that he wanted to stay near her – he was just too shy to say it. But Ayame knew how to solve that.

"Sorata-san” she called out, “I'll share a room with Kurogane-san and Fai-san. Syaoran can stay here in this room with Sakura."

Her announcement shocked everyone.

Sorata was the first one to recover "Firstly call me Sorata-chan. And secondly, are you sure?" He then cast a worrying glance over Kurogane and added, "I don't trust this big black guy!"

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN!" Kurogane roared.

"I'm completely capable of taking care of myself Sorata-chan" Ayame beamed, "Besides, I'll clonk Kuro-tan on his head if he tries something funny"

"MY NAME IS KUROGANE!"

Ayame giggled as the ninja continued to mutter and grumble under his breath. It was a lot of fun.

"Also Sorata-chan, I'll be there, I will be protecting the beautiful princess!" Fai winked at Ayame, making her flush with embarrassment a second time.

"You're doing this for me, aren't you Ayame-san?" Syaoran hung his head slightly, his amber eyes filled with guilt.

“Don’t be like that” Ayame affectionately ruffled his hair, "I know you want to be with her Syaoran. But remember, you need to get some rest. We will have a long day tomorrow. Okay?"

“Okay” Syaoran replied with a grateful smile.

Sorata lead Ayame, Kurogane and Fai to another room which was almost identical to the first. Ayame picked a spot near the windows while the other two picked spots hear the walls of the room. They all laid their futons in silence… well except for Fai, who hummed some tune which felt vaguely familiar to Ayame.

“I’m about to turn the lights off, so don’t do something naughty Kuro-ne” Fai teased, which sent Kurogane into another one of his raging fits. Ayame and Fai just burst out laughing

“Alright boys, I think that’s enough” Ayame said, wiping tears from her eyes.

“As you say, my lovely princess” Fai sang as he turned off the lights.

In the darkness, no one saw Ayame flush for the third time that night. She really wished he would stop doing that. Ayame didn’t really know how to handle flirting well.

As she lay in the darkness, the question from before, the one about her supposedly lost magic loomed in front of her. But before she could address it, a sudden wave of exhaustion crashed over her, washing away everything. The fatigue from her battle with the black armoured attackers back in Clow had finally begun to set in. Clow… her mind wandered off to her home country, to the sands of the desert, then to the palace, to her army, to her best friend Yukito… and then finally came to a stop at her brother.

The image of Touya, lying on the ground, pale with sickness swam in front of her eyes without warning. Another torrent of questions filled her mind now – how was he, did he survive… was she ever going to see him again? A lump formed in her throat as all the emotions she had willed herself not to feel ever since she landed in Yuuko’s shop flooded her – fear, desperation, anxiety, hopelessness… the impending sense of doom. She could feel tears forming in her eyes, but she took a deep breath and swallowed the lump; she had no time for crying. More like she couldn’t afford to, she was afraid that if they started, the tears wouldn’t stop. Ayame steeled her mind and sent out a small prayer to the gods to protect her brother, as sleep gently enveloped her and gave her the peace and quiet she needed.

**XXX**

Fai rolled around, dragging his blanket with him to try to find a more comfortable position. An hour had already passed since he turned the lights out, but sleep kept eluding him. Possibly because his mind kept re-playing everything that happened in the past few hours. Since landing in Yuuko’s shop, things had worked out more or less as he had expected them to. Almost everything had been exactly as that man told him all those years ago – the boy, the princess who had lost her soul and the person he had referred to as the witch’s pawn.

But what he had not told him about was _her_.

His eyes moved across the room and settled on Ayame who was fast asleep, snoring softly, her long black hair spread out in a tangled mess. Even as he looked, she tossed about, twisting the already twisted blanket around her body in the process, and mumbled something which sounded like “Stop kicking me, Touya” Fai mentally chuckled at that.

The young woman had intrigued Fai the moment he had set his eyes on her. The fact that the man had failed to mention her was a clear indication that he didn’t expect Ayame to be there. Fai had also noticed that back in the shop, Yuuko had also seemed just a little reluctant to take her payment, meaning Yuuko wasn’t expecting her presence either. She had managed to stump two of the most powerful magicians in the world.

But that was not it. He didn’t know whether it was her voice or the way she held herself or whether it was the way she stared out into the lights of Hanshin like a child or whether it was that gentle, comforting energy which vibrated around her since the moment the bracelet came off her wrist in the shop… something about Ayame tugged at his brain. As if he was forgetting something very, very important.

‘ _It’s going to be long journey… I have plenty of time to find out…_ ’ he thought as he finally drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

**XXX**

Ayame kept checking and rechecking her reflection in the mirror. Nope. She can’t go out looking like this.

Syaoran and the others had decided to take a look around the city to try and locate the feather. Sorata and Arashi had lent them a few clothes so that they don’t stand out in the crowd… but Ayame preferred sticking out rather than feel uncomfortable in her own skin.

“You worry too much” Arashi smiled, “I think these clothes suit you really well.

Ayame just hummed in response, not convinced. She was wearing a 3/4th sleeved, lavender crop top paired a black skater skirt with reached her just below her mid-thigh. There were two problems she had with her clothes, one being that she disliked skirts and two being… well… it showed off a little more skin than she was used to.

“Aya-chan! We are waiting for you!”

Ayame sighed, she had told the mage earlier that day to not call her that, but of course he didn’t listen.

‘ _Well it can’t be helped_ ’ she shrugged and made her way downstairs, where the rest of them were waiting.

“Don’t worry, no one will suspect Mokona…” Sorata was telling Syaoran but he stopped mid-sentence when she joined them, “Wah… Ayame-chan, you look great! Honey is so good with picking clothes”

Ayame laughed awkwardly in response, looking at the others to change the topic. However, Syaoran, Kurogane and Fai were staring at her as well, which made Ayame blush slightly.

“You do look good, Ayame-san” Syaoran finally said.

“Aya-chan looks so cute that I can’t take my eyes off her!” Fai sang.

“Stop with the flirting already!” Ayame yelled, blushing even more.

“Guys, I’ll be leaving now” Sorata said, checking the time. But before he left, Sorata handed Ayame a frog-shaped wallet “Here keep this, Ayame-chan. There’s some money in there so you guys can have lunch some place nice”

“Why give it to her?” Kurogane asked, eyeing the wallet in her hand.

“Because she looks the most trustworthy” Sorata beamed.

Ayame and Fai burst out laughing while Kurogane roared, “WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS!?”

“It is understandable” Fai said winking at Ayame, “Aya-chan is so pretty, everyone is bound to trust her”

Ayame could feel her blood beginning to boil just a bit. That was the last straw. She couldn’t keep her irritation hidden anymore.

“I told you to stop the flirting!” Ayame smacked Fai hard on the head.

She expected Fai to get offended but instead, he just made a mock sad face and raced ahead to join Syaoran, who had begun walking towards the city, singing, “Aya-chan is such a meanie”

Ayame let out a long breath as her temper cooled down. She wished she hadn’t done that. Now Fai was going to keep making flirtatious remarks just to annoy her. There was no doubt about it.

“Why did it have to be ‘Aya-chan’?” she muttered under her breath, thinking about the field day her soldiers would have if they ever heard someone address her that way.

“Not so fun on the other side, huh?” Kurogane asked, smirking.

“Yeah, you and I are on the same boat… Blackie”

Ayame giggled, following Kurogane as he stomped off after Fai and Syaoran grumbling in irritation. Looks like today will be peaceful.

**XXX**

“SYAORAN!” Ayame screamed, her heart threatening to burst out of her chest in panic. Of course the day was not going to be peaceful.

When the Kudan battle between warring street gangs had interrupted their relaxing outing, Ayame had expected to get involved in the fight. What she didn’t expect was Syaoran jumping to the rescue to protect a couple of innocent bystanders from getting hit by a water beam from one of the powerful Kudans.

Ayame was just about to run to Syaoran’s help, but a sudden build of energy around the chocolate haired boy stopped her dead in her tracks. She gasped when she realised that the power was rushing out of Syaoran himself. A wall of flame erupted in front of Syaoran vaporising the water beam instantly. The fire then began to twist and swirl, as if it had a mind of its own, and took the form of a beautiful wolf. As Syaoran stood up to face his attacker, the flaming wolf moved and stood protectively in front of him. There was absolutely no doubt about it – the wolf was Syaoran’s Kudan. And it was very strong.

The man, from whose stingray Kudan the water beam had originated, seemed to think so too. “Looks like you have a high level Kudan too”

But the rest of the conversation between Syaoran and the other guy was drowned out by a sharp ringing in Ayame’s ears. Her senses picked up another build-up of energy, but this time it was from somewhere high up above. She looked up at the sky, but she couldn’t see anybody with a Kudan. On the other hand, she could feel the power moving and rising and her gut told her that whoever was up there was aiming their attack on Syaoran.

Ayame clenched her fists in frustration, no one had noticed the other Kudan and she couldn’t risk yelling out in alarm. Syaoran was busy deflecting water attacks and if he lost his focus, there was a good chance he would get hit. ‘ _There has to be something I can do!_ ’

 _‘Do you want to protect him?’_ a voice boomed in her head without warning. The voice sounded impossibly old and powerful, full of infinite wisdom which made her shiver just a little. Ayame didn’t know how, but she knew she could trust the voice.

 _‘I do’_ she replied firmly, _‘I want to keep everyone I hold dear safe and happy’_

The voice chuckled, as if amused by her answer , _‘Safe and happy. That is an answer I don’t hear every day’_

_‘Will you help me?’_

_‘You have a fierce, yet gentle heart, something I deeply admire’_ came the reply, _‘My powers are yours to command child’_

Almost as if on cue, Ayame felt every single muscle and bone in her body thrum and vibrate, as if lightning had passed through her. ‘So this is what it feels like’ she thought as she saw electricity cackle just a little at her palms.She concentrated at the area around Syaoran and his Kudan and quickly wove a shield around them without a second thought. Just as she finished, a massive orb of invisible energy rammed against her shield. It didn’t bounce back however, the invisible orb pushed, trying to find an opening. In response, Ayame increased the power she had been channelling to the shield by a fraction, sending the orb flying away. 

Then suddenly, the presence of the Kudan she had been silently fighting vanished. Out of the corner of her eye Ayame saw the man Syaoran had been fighting with leave as well, along with the rest of his crew. ‘ _So they were on the same team_ ’

Ayame cast a quick glance at everyone else – no one had noticed the little duel between her and the Kudan from above… and she was thankful for it. Because she knew they would ask a lot of questions and she didn’t have the answers to them. Heck she would like some answers to all the questions dancing away in her head, the most important one being how the hell did she know how to construct a shield?

“You were great Syaoran-kun!” Fai sang, bringing Ayame out of her head.

Ayame dumped her latest pot of problems into the already huge heap of unanswered questions in the back of her mind as she ran towards Syaoran and pulled him into a hug. She breathed a sigh of relief. He was safe and out of danger, that’s all that mattered.

“I’m okay, Ayame-san” Syaoran reassured her, hugging back.

Ayame broke the hug but she didn’t let go of his shoulders, “Don’t you ever scare me like that ever again, you hear me young man?”

Syaoran nodded with a smile while Fai cooed, “Aya-chan is so adorable when she gets worried”

“Oh shut up”

**XXX**

High up above, even above the clouds which dotted the skies of Hanshin, a bespectacled man stood on the back of his falcon Kudan, wearing an amused smile. Someone had not only sensed his stealth attack, but had also reacted quickly enough to deflect it. That was a first for him, no one, not even Shougo Asagi, had managed to do that.

“Well… well… well… looks like I finally found a worthy opponent”


	4. Familiar Faces

“So you admire the leader of the goggle wearing gang?” Fai asked.

“Y…yes!” Masayoshi answered with an embarrassed smile.

The group were seated in a quaint, cosy little restaurant for lunch. Masayoshi, the boy whom Syaoran had saved earlier, had led them to this place saying it was one of the most popular spots in the city. Looking around, Fai had to agree. Every single table in the joint was occupied, and the food – okonomiyaki it was called, he remembered – smelled delicious. Fai was really looking forward to tasting it, but probably not more than Kurogane, who couldn’t keep his eyes off the hot plate while Mokona happily danced away on his head.

“But I also admire Syaoran-kun” Masayoshi added shyly.

Syaoran looked simply perplexed, “Huh?”

“Oh don’t look so confused, Syaoran! You were totally amazing” Ayame laughed. “But that doesn’t mean that you run off doing heroics again” she added sternly.

“Syaoran-kun has a special Kudan with him. That’s really great”

“Special Kudan?” Syaoran asked, intrigued.

Fai leaned in to listen, curious himself. The Kudans in this world were unlike anything he had ever seen. The knowledge hungry child in him ached to know more.

"It’s the best Kudan. You see, Kudans are ranked according to their power. The 4th level is the bottom. Then there is the 3rd level, the 2nd level, the 1st level and right at the top is the special Kudan" Masayoshi explained, "Having the special kudan was stopped by the countries a long time ago, but people still use it"

“So that leader has a really strong kudan?” Fai asked, remembering the power emanating from the stingray Kudan.

"Yes! Syaoran-kun is the same. A special Kudan only goes with people who are strong" Masayoshi’s small black eyes were shining with awe, "Since a Kudan is controlled telepathically, its strength reflects the strength of the mind and character of the user”

“Kudan reflects the strength of the mind, does it?” Ayame, who was sitting beside Fai, smiled fondly at the young boy, “It is no surprise you have it then, Syaoran. A fiery wolf suits you really well”

Fai laughed lightly as an embarrassed blush slowly creeped across Syaoran’s face. He agreed with Ayame, of course – the focus and dedication the young boy showed was quite impressive considering his age. His mind was steady, patient and strong, just like a burning flame.

“I wonder what kind of Kudan Kuro-tan will have though” Ayame said, giving the ninja sitting next to her a curious glance.

“You better stop calling me that, princess” Kurogane scowled, still not taking his eyes off the okonomiyaki.

“Definitely something that matches his temper!” she giggled in response.

‘ _What kind of Kudan will you have…?_ ’ Fai wondered as he watched Ayame scold Mokona for jumping about. She was a lot more complicated than Syaoran and Kurogane, making it difficult for Fai to place her, which was saying something. He was pretty good at reading people after all.

“That’s it” Kurogane finally ran out of patience and he slowly lifted the sizzling pancake from one side curiously.

“I don’t think you should…” But Ayame was cut short by an urgent shout.

“WAIT!”

The shout had come from a tall, tanned man with black hair, his navy blue eyes scanning the entire group with a little irritation. The bespectacled, silver blonde man behind him, on the other hand, had a warm smile adorning his fair face.

“The King… and the Priest!” Syaoran exclaimed.

“Touya… Yukito…”

Fai’s gaze shifted from the two men to Ayame, whose lilac eyes were wide with shock and disbelief.

“I think you are mistaken” the black haired man said tonelessly, clearly unamused, “I am not the king” Turning his attention to Kurogane, he said, “Please wait so you don't knock something over”

He then went over to another table, ignoring Kurogane’s protest.

“So he is the King in your country then?” Fai asked, his eyes flitting between the black haired man and the still shell-shocked Ayame.

“Yeah… the black-haired one is my twin brother Touya, the King. And the one with the round glasses is my best friend Yukito, the High Priest”

“Is this what the Dimensional Witch meant, when she said we might meet someone we know in a different world… but in a different world they have different lives?” Syaoran seemed to be in shock too, but not as much as Ayame.

“They are the same and not the same” Fai answered, “But their connections, their heart is still the same”

“You mean their soul?” Kurogane asked no one in particular, absent-mindedly poking his okonomiyaki with his chopsticks. However, Fai noticed that he was looking at Ayame through the corner of his eye, his mind clearly abuzz with questions. The wizards’ instincts had been right – there was definitely something going on between them that he didn’t know about.

Ayame, on the other hand, was completely oblivious to all the attention that was being showered on her. Her eyes wistfully remained glued to Touya and Yukito, who were attending on other tables. Fai’s chest clenched slightly on seeing the pain etched on her face. ‘ _Those two must have been really dear to her_ ’

Fai sighed inwardly, the mood around the table had gone from energetic to sombre within seconds. He decided to shake things up a little.

“Aya-chan!” he chirped, waving his hands in front of her.

“Huh?”

“Looks like we lost you for a moment there”

“Ayame-san, I’m sure they both are fine” Syaoran said, clearly understanding the reason behind Ayame’s distress.

“Yeah” Ayame managed a small smile, though a twinge of sadness still lingered in her eyes, “I’m alright, don’t worry about me”

The rest of the meal was uneventful… well except for Kurogane’s growls and grunts added with Mokona’s shrieks and squeaks as they both fought over their food. By the time everyone was finished, Fai chuckled at the vein that throbbed on Ayame’s forehead. Clearly, she was not amused by the arguing as much as he was.

Seeing their empty plates, Yukito came over and asked, “Is there anything else I can get you?”

“That will be all” Fai sang while Syaoran politely said, “Thank you for the food”

“But that stupid pork bun ate half of my food” Kurogane grumbled.

"No I did not! Kuro-puu was too mean to share so Mokona just took some!" Mokona lilted, dancing in front of Kurogane.

“MY NAME IS KUROGANE!”

The ninja was just about to grab Mokona roughly, when a hand suddenly pulled the fluffy rabbit out of harm’s way, while another smacked him hard on the head.

“That’s enough both of you! Behave or else…”Ayame said icily.

Kurogane just huffed and looked the other way while Mokona cooed as she perched herself on Ayame’s shoulder, "Aya-chan saved me from Kuro-monster! Aya-chan is my hero!"

"I won't remain your hero if you don't behave now, Mokona"

Yukito, who was watching the shenanigans patiently, chuckled, “That’s a lively bunch you’ve got here”

“Yeah,” Ayame replied with an awkward smile, “We’re so sorry about the commotion”

Kurogane simply snorted but when he saw Ayame glare at him, he cleared his throat and mumbled an apology before getting up and stomping out of the restaurant.

“It’s your first time here, right?” Yukito asked as the rest of the group filed out of their seats.

“Yup. Me and my friends we’re new to town”

“Well, if that’s the case then lunch is on the house” Touya came up to their table too.

“What? No!” Ayame fumbled with the wallet Sorata had given her, “We can’t do that!”

Touya placed a gentle, yet firm hand on the wallet. “That won’t be necessary miss. You can pay us the next time you visit” He then cracked a mischievous smile, a smile which looked a lot like Ayame’s, and added, “You will be coming back right?”

“Of course I will be” Ayame grinned back, “And I will not be eating free food again”

“That’s a deal then” Yukito said with a smile.

"We'll be back soon!" Mokona sang from Ayame's shoulder as they were leaving. Touya just raised his hand in acknowledgement while Yukito waved.

Fai, who had observed the exchange between Ayame and the two men very closely, couldn’t help but feel a little jealous. She had been born a twin, just like he had. Where he was persecuted and labelled as cursed, Ayame seemed to have a led a normal, happy life. It just wasn’t fair.

But then again, what he was doing wasn’t fair either. Fai knew everything about the feathers and the man who was behind the whole situation. Any decent man would tell the truth after seeing how worried Syaoran and Ayame were about Sakura. But Fai didn’t have the luxury to be decent.

‘ _I have a promise to keep_ ’ he told himself as he jogged to catch up with the others.

**XXX**

"WHO IS THE BOY CALLED SYAORAN!?" yelled a stout guy with a pink Mohawk.

Ayame let out an irritated sigh. To say that the day had been eventful would be putting it lightly. First there was Syaoran jumping to save the day, then there was that sneaky attacker and the tiny glimpse of her own Kudan. Oh, and how could she forget meeting this worlds’ Touya and Yukito? She had had enough excitement for one day.

"Why do you want to know?" Fai asked politely.

"ARE YOU THE MAN SHOUGO SAID HE LIKED?” By this time, at least 8 other people sporting a similar Mohawk showed up behind the portly man.

‘ _Brilliant, another street gang. Just what I needed today_ ’ Ayame bristled.

“And what if I am?” Fai still had an inane smile plastered on his face, as if he didn’t have a single care in the world. Surely everyone did not fall for that? Ayame couldn’t understand what he was playing at.

“I am Syaoran” the chocolate haired boy took a few steps forward to face the man with the Mohawk.

“You’re joking! That’s just a kid!”

“Hey, watch your mouth!” Ayame moved ahead and stood behind Syaoran, glowering at the leader of the gang.

“Are you going to join Shougo’s team?”

“Team?” Syaoran asked.

The question only served to annoy Mr. Mohawk, "Don't play dumb with me! Shougo liked you. You've been haunted with a special Kudan. If you join Shougo's team, I won't forgive you!"

Ayame quirked an eyebrow in surprise, word about the special Kudan got around fast. She cast a worried glance at Syaoran, who stood his ground. ‘ _How many more people are going to come after him because of this?_ ’

"I don't intend to join any team, not yours nor Shougo's" Syaoran told the man firmly.

Ayame couldn’t help but smile at the young boy’s simplicity.

“SO YOU PLAN TO MAKE YOUR OWN TEAM!” Mr. Mohawk bellowed.

“Look… there is nothing like that going…“ But Ayame’s voice got stuck in her throat when she felt the air around the man hum with power. “Syaoran, he is summoning his Kudan”

The words had barely left her lips when a huge crab-lobster hybrid materialised in front of them.

“Wow! It’s so big!” Fai and Mokona cooed.

“Now is not the time to admire the Kudan!” Ayame yelled.

 

“I AM GOING TO BREAK YOU INTO PIECES!”

The Kudans’ tail swung viciously and headed straight for them. Ayame pushed Syaoran out of harm’s way and jumped to dodge the attack. It was a close call, she could feel the appendage pass inches below her feet before it crashed into the pillar behind her, ripping right through it. However, the flying debris threw Ayame slightly off balance, making her land awkwardly, twisting her right foot in the process.

“Dammit…” she cursed, wincing at the throbbing, pulsating pain that emanated from the affected area. But she didn’t have a moment to spare on her injured foot – her muscles tensed when she felt the Kudan gathering power again. Ayame hissed in frustration, there was no way she was going to be able to dodge another attack. ‘ _Well, it’s now or never_ ’ she thought, preparing to summon her Kudan, when a rough voice interrupted her.

“What do you think you are doing to my friend?”

Kurogane slowly, but purposefully walked forward, glaring at Mr. Mohawk.

“Hey, stop getting in my way!” the stout man’s face turned the same shade of pink as his hair in annoyance.

Kurogane simply ignored him. “Are you alright?” he asked her tonelessly, but Ayame could see worry lining his bright red eyes.

She couldn’t resist giving the tall man a cheeky grin, “I’ll survive… friend”

Kurogane scowled in response as Syaoran came running to her side. “Ayame-san, are you alright?” He didn’t try the slightest to keep his worry hidden.

“It’s just a twisted ankle, Syaoran. I’ll be fine”

“Hey kid. Get her outta here” Kurogane growled, “I’ll take care of this guy”

"But Kurogane-san, Yuuko-san still has your sword… how will you fight?" Syaoran asked.

Kurogane cracked his knuckles menacingly, “I don’t need a sword to fight this clown”

"Kuro-tan is soooooo happy to be in Hanshin!" Fai chirped as Ayame hobbled over to where he was standing, a hand firmly placed on Syaoran’s shoulder for support.

“SHUT THE HELL UP!” Kurogane roared.

“What grade is your Kudan?” Mr. Mohawk asked angrily.

“Don’t know, don’t care” Kurogane smirked, “Stop rambling and attack”

Ayame couldn’t keep the worry gnawing at the pit of her stomach at bay. Sure, he was strong – the ripped muscles that his figure hugging black t-shirt showed off were proof enough – but he was up against a Kudan for crying out loud! Brute strength wasn’t going to help.

Mr. Mohawk wasted no time now and commanded his Kudan to attack. This time, instead of swishing its tail, the crab sent a rain of long, sharp spikes. However, the sudden change did not affect Kurogane the slightest, he ran and dodged with ease, grinning all the way. Ayame was impressed, the speed and agility the man showed was a testimony to the years of training he had as a warrior.

Mr. Mohawk was clearly not impressed however, and egged his Kudan to attack with more power. It shot out spikes with more force this time, blasting the already damaged pillar and sending it cascading over Kurogane. The Mohawk guy began laughing when he didn’t surface again.

“KUROGANE-SAN!” Syaoran cried out.

Ayame ignored the pain in her leg and prepared to dash to help the ninja, but a cool, firm hand grasped her wrist and pulled her back gently.

“Aya-chan, I know you want to help Kuro-tan. But I think we both know that he will not appreciate it” Fai still had that annoying smile on his face, though his sapphire blue eyes bore into hers meaningfully. Ayame pursed her lips, she knew he was right.

“Annoying…” a voice grunted, “Your constant talking is so annoying”

Ayame breathed a huge sigh of relief – Kurogane was standing among the broken pieces of the destroyed pillar. He sported numerous scratches and bruises and a small gash on his forehead was bleeding, but the grin on the man’s face told her that he was absolutely fine, if not more riled up.

“How did you survive that?" Mr. Mohawk was almost bouncing on the balls of his feet, waving his fists at Kurogane in fury, "My kudan is first grade! It is very strong!"

“It still has a weak spot” Kurogane sneered, “If I had my sword, I could stop this quickly”

The moment he uttered those words, Ayame felt a surge of power around the tall man. The energy whirled around him and finally took the form of a beautiful, majestic blue dragon. The dragon stretched its wings and perched itself on the broken pillar behind Kurogane, its deep orange eyes twinkling as it regarded the ninja curiously. An understanding seemed to pass between them and the dragons’ form shifted and melted into a blue hilted broadsword, which hovered expectantly in front of Kurogane.

“So I can use this, eh?” Kurogane grasped the sword and carefully took in every inch of it, a satisfied smirk playing on his lips. Ayame marvelled at the size of the sword – it was easily more than half his size!

“I’ve had enough of your theatrics!” Mr. Mohawk screamed, “GUNSHOT CRAB ATTACK!”

At his command, the Kudan started shooting spikes at Kurogane again, but this time with better accuracy and a lot more power. Kurogane didn’t seem worried however, he raised his sword high above his head and swung it with immense force releasing a wave of energy so strong and massive that it sent a shiver up Ayame’s spine. The power was simply astounding and she wasn’t surprised when the wave cut the other Kudan in half easily, like a knife cutting through butter. There were collective gasps and wows as the crab Kudan simmered and disappeared and Mr. Mohawk fell down on his knees, whimpering.

“See” Fai finally let go of her wrist, “Kuro-rin didn’t need our help after all”

“You can say that again” Ayame gave a relieved smile in response.

“You… you already made a team…” Mr. Mohawk said weakly, pointing a trembling finger at Kurogane, “Syaoran’s team… and you’re a part of it”

“No” Kurogane said firmly, a fire burning in his red eyes, “I work alone… only for Princess Tomoyo”

From the seriousness in the man’s voice, it was pretty evident that he cared deeply for the Princess.

‘ _Well, she is one lucky woman_ ’

**XXX**

Kurogane couldn’t reign in his irritation anymore. He picked up a wooden ladle near him and threw it at Fai, who casually waltzed out of the way, singing, “Kuro-mu mi~ssed!” And to make matters worse, Mokona, who was perched on the blonde’s shoulder, started singing the same thing too. Kurogane was just about to throw another spoon at them when an angry shout stopped them all in their tracks.

“WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING!?”

Ayame was standing in the doorway of the kitchen, glaring at all three of them.

“We are here, in this kitchen because we agreed to help Arashi-san clean up the dishes we used for dinner. Not to play tag!”

“You agreed to help, we got dragged along” Kurogane grumbled, earning another glare from her.

“But Kuro-pon was being the meanie, Aya-chan!” Fai sobbed dramatically, “He started throwing things at me and Mokona”

“Yes he did! Yes he did!” Mokona sang.

“STOP CALLING ME THAT!” Kurogane roared and picked up the spoon again, but he got a hard whack on his head.

“Keep it down! Syaoran and Sakura are asleep upstairs”

Kurogane scowled and crossed his arms while Ayame let out a sigh.

“Now that we have established that there is no way you all can work together, I’m going to give you different jobs”

“We will follow Aya-chan’s orders” Fai saluted, grinning so wide that Kurogane wanted to tear his face into two.

“Fai-san, Mokona, you two go up to the terrace and help Arashi-san with the laundry”

“Okie-dokie” Fai beamed and danced his way out.

Kurogane breathed a sigh of relief. Finally he could get some silence.

“And you” Ayame said, turning to him, “Are going to help me tidy up the kitchen”

“Why me?”

“Because you are the one who threw things around”

Kurogane scowled but started picking up all the strewn utensils anyway. This was better than listening to that stupid mage come up with annoying nicknames.

“You know, if you want Fai-san and Mokona to stop with the nicknames, all you have to do is not react”

“Why should I not react?” he snapped, “If I am pissed, I show that I am pissed”

“Which is exactly what makes it so much fun” Ayame giggled.

It took them around 15 to 20 minutes to set everything in order. After they were done, Ayame scanned the whole kitchen and gave a satisfactory nod.

“Now for the second task at hand” she began to rummage around one of the overhead cupboards. “Arashi-san said it would be here… Aha!” Ayame pulled out a small red box.

She then drew a chair and motioned Kurogane to sit down.

“And why would I do that?” he asked.

“That cut on your forehead needs to be cleaned out properly” she replied.

“I’m not some child to get my wounds patched up…” Kurogane began to protest, but when he saw Ayame glowering at him, the rest of the words died in his throat. Instinct told him that there was no point arguing. He let out a long breath and sat down on the chair grumpily.

“Now let’s see…” Ayame gently pushed away his spiky black hair to observe the cut, “I knew it” she looked at Kurogane reproachfully, “You didn’t clean it properly. There is still dirt and grime on it!”

Kurogane quietly watched as Ayame opened the red box, pulled out a cotton ball, put some saline on it and began to gently clean the wound. Even though he felt awkward about the current situation, Kurogane had to admit that it felt weirdly comforting. It had been a very long time since someone fussed over him like this. Well, Princess Tomoyo and Soma always did make a big deal about his wounds, but he never let them mollycoddle him. Now… he himself didn’t know why he was letting Ayame patch him up.

He glanced up at the princess, whose brow was furrowed in concentration as she dabbed some antiseptic on the wound now. An almost healed cut on her right eyebrow caught his attention. From the extent of healing, he guessed that she got it not so long ago and the sharp edges of the wound indicated that it was inflicted by a sharp blade, like a sword.

Wait, what? A sword?

Curious now, his eyes traced Ayame’s arms, trying to find more evidence. At first glance, the skin seemed to be smooth and flawless. However, a closer look revealed a fair number of faded scars all over her forearm. Sure, you get a few scratches by accident when you are playing with swords in a palace courtyard, but not as many as that. Ayame had been in a good number of battles, that much was obvious. But why would the princess of a country have fought battles?

Before he could ponder over the question, the sound of amused laughter pulled Kurogane out of his thoughts.

“I can see you staring at me you know…” Ayame grinned as she performed a final check on the newly placed band aid on his forehead and stepped back.

Kurogane felt his face heat up in embarrassment and looked away, which just made the princess giggle even more.

“Now, now… is Kuro-chan being a naughty boy?” she teased.

Kuro-chan… the nickname stung him more than any wound could. When the mage used it, it was plain annoying, infuriating even. But when Ayame used it, it just dragged up very old memories.

“Don’t call me that” he growled, albeit lacking the usual vigour.

“That didn’t sound right” Ayame said thoughtfully, “You usually sound angrier than that”

Kurogane chose not to reply to that, he didn’t trust his mouth at the moment. He hoped that his silence would discourage Ayame from pursuing the matter.

It had the exact opposite effect though; she pulled up another chair and sat down facing him. They both just stared at each other, their faces blank, waiting for the other person to break the silence.

After what seemed like ages, Ayame finally spoke, “Can I ask you something? You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to though”

When Kurogane still didn’t respond, she went ahead and asked, “Do you know me? What I mean is that, back in your world, did you know another me?”

Kurogane inhaled sharply. He had prepared himself to face this question, he knew she or one of the others was bound to notice that he behaved a little differently around her. He just hadn’t expected it to be this soon.

Ayame sighed at the ninja’s continued silence, “You know what… you don’t have to answer that. The look on your face says it all”

After a few seconds, Ayame got up and placed a warm, comforting hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry” she had a sad, understanding smile on her face, “I know how difficult it must be for you to see the same face”

Kurogane just gaped at her, speechless. What was she apologising for? It was not like she had asked for all of this to happen! For a moment he thought she was just being courteous, but the distress in her eyes told him that was not the case.

“You don’t have anything to apologize for”

“What?”

“I said, you don’t have to apologize” Kurogane looked straight into her eyes before continuing, “My past, my life before I landed in the witch’s shop is my business. And whatever complications and difficulties that I face because of that past is my business as well. You came on this journey to save your sister, didn’t you? That’s a big weight on your shoulders already. Don’t make that weight heavier by carrying problems that don’t concern you”

Now it was Ayame’s turn to be speechless. She simply blinked at him, but soon the surprise on her face melted away and she chuckled.

“What?” he growled.

“Nothing” she grinned, “I was just thinking that you have a very short temper for someone so kind”

“Kind…! HEY, STOP SAYING THINGS LIKE THAT”

Ayame just continued to giggle while Kurogane fumed. Seriously, why did he even bother telling her anything?

“Get some good sleep, Kuro-mi. We are going to have a busy day tomorrow”

She gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze before skipping out of the kitchen.

“MY NAME IS KUROGANE!”


	5. The Moment of Awakening

“So when you grabbed her and fell to the ground, the feathers scattered?” Ayame asked as Syaoran concluded the story.

“Yes” Syaoran nodded.

After her conversation with Kurogane, Ayame had made her way up to the terrace to check on Fai and Mokona. But instead, she found Syaoran segregating and folding the sheets that had been hung to dry during the day. She was pretty annoyed at first, but then decided to take the opportunity to learn what had exactly happened beneath the ruins back in Clow.

“And when all this was happening underground, you were fighting those people in black armour along with the King and the other soldiers?”

“Yeah” Ayame let her eyes wander over the spectacular view of the city that the terrace offered. The sparkling and twinkling lights bathed the princess and the young boy in a soft, multi-coloured glow as they both sat in silence, pondering over what they had learned from each other’s’ stories.

“But Ayame-san… that means…” Syaoran began cautiously.

“It means that someone did all this on purpose” Ayame finished the sentence, “Someone started the disturbance underground and sent soldiers to the surface so that no one could interfere”

“So what do we do now?” Syaoran was trying his best to keep his voice steady but his clenched fists gave away his anger and frustration.

“There is nothing much we can do at the moment” Ayame sighed, “We don’t know who this person is, nor do we know what he or she wants. All we can do now is to look for the feathers”

At the mention of the feathers, the anger in the boy’s amber eyes melted away to be replaced with worry. Ayame knew why – it had been a whole day since the feather Fai found in Syaoran’s clothes was returned to Sakura. Her body had warmed up and her breathing had normalised, but she still showed no signs of regaining consciousness.

“We need to get at least one more feather back for her to wake up” Ayame answered Syaoran’s unspoken question. When the boy turned and blinked at her, she couldn’t help but chuckle.

“I have known you for what, eight years now?” she ruffled his hair affectionately, “Do you really think I won’t know what’s going on in that head of yours?”

“It has been eight years” Syaoran replied with a smile.

They fell back into silence, albeit a comfortable one this time.

‘ _Eight years, huh? It seems like only yesterday…_ ’ Ayame thought as she looked at Syaoran, who had resumed folding the sheets. He had come a long way from the awkward little boy who used to hide behind his fathers’ legs.

‘ _They grow up so fast_ ’ she laughed inwardly when she realised that she sounded like an overly attached mother.

“Ayame-san…?” Syaoran’s question snapped her out of her reverie.

“Hmmm?”

“How is your right foot now?”

“Foot?”

“Ayame-san, you twisted your foot earlier today” Syaoran explained.

“Oh yeah, I did” Ayame said slowly, finally remembering. But that is absurd, how could she forget something like that.

Ayame slowly got up from the bench she and Syaoran were sitting on, purposely putting extra pressure on her right foot. Nothing, no pain at all. As a matter of fact, she hadn’t felt any kind of pain for a while now, no wonder it had slipped out of her mind. The last time her foot had protested to being placed on the floor was when she was having dinner, and that was a little over an hour ago.

“It’s… it’s healed…” she whispered, her eyes widening in shock as she looked at her foot.

All logic told her that it was impossible – her ankle had been swollen and she had limped all the way back to the hotel. However, now that she thought about it, the pain had been slowly receding the whole time, she just hadn’t noticed it.

‘ _Something is just not right…_ ’ she thought as she focused all her attention on the foot. And then realisation hit her like a thousand volts of electricity.

Magic. _Her_ magic had healed her foot.

Even though she hadn’t felt it in her body for a very, very long time, she still remembered the feeling of power coursing through her veins. And now, Ayame felt it again, a small trickle compared to the river of energy from before, but it was unmissable. Somehow, her magic had returned to her.

And it made absolutely no sense.

Unbidden, all the questions that had plagued her ever since she landed in Hanshin flooded into her mind. The feeling that something inside her awakened when her mother’s bracelet was taken from her, the fact that she had been able to see Kurogane’s aura… and now, she could feel her magic flowing inside her, all pointed to one thing – Ayame had never lost her magic. Her father had got it all wrong.

But had he though?

“Ayame-san?” Syaoran’s worried voice pierced through the haze of questions in her mind. She had completely forgotten about him.

“I’m fine” she mustered a smile, hoping to convince the young boy, “I was just a little surprised, that’s all”

The frown on Syaoran’s face showed that he didn’t buy it. However, Ayame was saved from any further questions by the timely appearance of Mokona.

“Syaoran, Aya-chan, I found you” Mokona sang as she hopped across the terrace and perched herself on Ayame’s shoulder, “Arashi was wondering where you two were so Mokona came to look for you”

“Well, looks like we should get going” Ayame picked up half the sheets but Syaoran swiftly plucked them away from her hands.

“I’ll take them, Ayame-san” he picked up the remaining half and gave Ayame a meaningful look, “I think you would like a few moments alone with your thoughts”

Ayame raised her eyebrows in surprise, “How did you know?”

Syaoran’s eyes twinkled just a little as he smiled, “I have known you for eight years too”

Ayame huffed at Syaoran’s back as he carefully balanced all the sheets and walked out of the terrace, gently closing the door behind him.

“Isn’t Aya-chan going to ask why Mokona stayed back with her?” the little creature asked, nuzzling Ayame’s cheek.

“Why?”

Mokona jumped into Ayame’s lap and said, “Because Mokona can feel that Aya-chan is troubled”

Ayame stared at her, speechless. How the hell did Mokona know?

“Don’t look so surprised, silly” Mokona giggled, “It is one of Mokona’s 108 secret abilities!”

“108 secret abilities, huh?” Ayame tickled Mokona behind her ear, “So you can transport us from one dimension to another and sense how people are feeling?”

Mokona nodded, her big white ears flopping.

“And Mokona can also contact someone who might be able to help Aya-chan”

This interested Ayame immensely, she could really use some answers right now.

“Who will that be, Mokona?”

“Yuuko!” Mokona exclaimed cheerfully.

Before Ayame could even register what the little rabbit had said, the red jewel on Mokona’s forehead gleamed and projected a circle of light in mid-air. And in that circle, was the image of the Dimensional Witch.

She couldn’t stop her jaw from dropping when the image of the Witch spoke, “Hello there, Mokona. Didn’t expect to hear from you so soon”

“Mokona called because Aya-chan was troubled and Mokona thought Yuuko could help”

“Umm… yeah… actually…” Ayame faltered, still trying to process the fact that she was talking to a moving image. But her fumbling stopped when Yuuko fixed her with a pensive stare.

“Mokona…” Yuuko said slowly, still not taking her eyes off Ayame, “Can you keep the connection on and go to sleep for a while?”

“Okay” Mokona chirped before snuggling into Ayame’s lap. She fell asleep almost instantly.

“Wow” Ayame breathed.

“I was expecting a call from you” Ayame turned her attention back to the Witch, who was watching her with narrowed eyes, “But I didn’t expect it to be so soon”

“So you know what I want to talk about?” Ayame asked cautiously. She wanted answers, yes, but years of conducting diplomatic negotiations had taught her that finding out what the opposite party knew was always the best thing to do.

Yuuko gave her a sly smile, as if she knew what was going on in the princess’ head, “A small amount of your magic has returned to you, has it not?”

Ayame pursed her lips, her instincts had been right. The Dimensional Witch knew a lot more than she was letting on.

“Does that mean that I never lost my magic?” Ayame asked. She knew the answer to that question, but she hoped against hope that she was wrong.

“That is correct”

Ayame felt a pang of anger, intermingled with a small feeling of joy. Joy – because now that she had her magic, she could be more useful in the quest to find Sakura’s feathers. Anger – because now she had no choice but to face the bitter truth; her father had lied to her.

“But why now? For all these years, I couldn’t feel a single drop of energy” Ayame pushed her rage down and tried to keep her mind calm.

“I’m sure you have figured that out by now, Princess Ayame” Yuuko replied.

Ayame wanted to rip that crafty smile out of the Witch’s face, but Yuuko was right. Some part of her had worked it out when she had seen Kurogane’s aura the previous day. It was precisely why she had begun doubting her father in the first place.

“My mothers’ bracelet, the one you took as payment” Ayame answered her own question, “A hidden enchantment on it prevented me from using my magic”

“Yes… and no” the smile on Yuuko’s face was gone now, “The enchantment on the bracelet only served to bind together the other spells”

Ayame couldn’t believe what she was hearing. _Other spells_!?

“So you mean to say, that there is more than one spell holding my magic back?”

“Five, to be exact” Yuuko replied, “The five seals were held together by a binding spell on the bracelet. Once the bracelet was removed…”

“The seals began to weaken… and the magic began to leak out” Ayame completed the sentence.

It made perfect sense. No wonder there was so little magic trickling through her veins. Ayame then asked the next obvious question.

“How do I break the seals?” She didn’t care how or why the seals were there, she just wanted her power restored.

“I’m afraid I can’t tell you that” Yuuko’s lips thinned.

“What?” Ayame resisted the urge to punch the hovering image. She knew that her fist would go right through it, but that didn’t stop her from wanting break the nose on that pale face. That patronizing Witch tells her all this… and then withholds one crucial piece of information.

“I can’t give you that information because it does not fall within the boundaries of the request” Yuuko said calmly, sensing Ayame’s anger.

“Whose request?”

“The request made by the man who placed those seals on you” Yuuko answered slowly, “Your father, the previous King of Clow Kingdom, Clow Reed”

Ayame’s head reeled when the weight of Yuuko’s words settled in; to say that she was shocked would be an understatement. She groaned and buried her face in her hands, trying to make sense of everything.

“So, in a nutshell, my father sealed my magic after my mother died. Then, he paid you to give me bits and pieces of the truth on the day I find out that he lied to my face for several years” Ayame kept her face hidden, however the tone of her voice gave away how furious she was.

‘ _Why!? Why would he do something like that?_ ’

“Do you trust your father?” Yuuko asked quietly.

Ayame slowly lifted her head to meet the Dimensional Witch’s questioning gaze. Did she trust her father? Up until now, she had. Now… it was a little difficult to. After all, he had made her live a lie for almost half her life.

But then again, he had made Ayame read every single magical text in the kingdom, even after she had, supposedly, lost her magic. He even used to send her with Fujitaka and Syaoran many times when they travelled to foreign lands, to learn more about the magic there. Back then, Ayame never understood why he made her do all that, but it started to make sense now. He knew that she would need her magic one day, and in his own way had prepared her for it.

He had a plan. Clow Reed always had a plan.

And Ayame decided to trust it. He had been very economical with the truth, yes, but that did not change the fact that he was her father and that he cared about her.

“I trust him” she replied, her anger finally simmering down.

“Good” Yuuko smiled, “With this, the request has been completed. I shall take my leave now. I’m sure you still have a lot to think about”

“Good Night” Ayame said Yuuko’s image faded and the circle of light flickered and died.

She had decided to believe in her father’s plan. Ayame hoped and prayed that it was the right decision.

**XXX**

“Well, things are progressing faster than I thought” Yuuko sighed, as the image of the Princess blinked and vanished.

“Faster?” the other Mokona asked.

“Yes” Yuuko said, emptying her sake glass in one go, “I thought it would take longer for her to realise she still had her magic. She is more powerful than I anticipated”

“So is it a good thing or a bad thing?”

“Only time will tell” came the vague response.

**XXX**

The next morning, the gang was out on the streets of Hanshin again.

“As I thought, everyone doesn't walk around with their kudan out” Fai said, looking around.

The previous night, during dinner, they had concluded that the feather might be inside a Kudan, which did make matters difficult. They can’t just ask people to show them their Kudans now, can they?

“At this rate, finding someone with a strong Kudan is going to take a while” Ayame stifled a yawn.

“Ayame-san, did you get enough sleep last night?” Syaoran asked.

“Yeah” Ayame rubbed her eyes, “I woke up a little early today morning that’s all”

After the little talk with Yuuko the previous night, she decided to test how useful all her theoretical knowledge about using magic really was. Ayame had woken up way before dawn and spent most of the morning practising some basic spells. The results had been pretty satisfactory, much to her relief.

“You better quit the yawning, Princess” Kurogane said, “You will need your full attention if we end up going head to head with a strong Kudan”

“Now, now” Fai teased, “Is Kuro-sama saying that he won’t jump to the rescue if the pretty Princess gets into trouble? You have no chivalry at all”

“None at all!” Mokona echoed.

 “SHUT UP!” Kurogane roared.

The rest of Kurogane’s protest, however, was cut short by the sudden appearance of a young boy… who stepped out of the wall!?

Ayame let out a startled yelp on seeing the boy and backed into Fai, who in turn stumbled into Kurogane. The ninja, who was equally alarmed, ended up losing his balance, sending all three of them crashing down on the pavement.

Ayame was shaking her head to make sense of the last few seconds when a cheerful voice spoke dangerously close to her ear. “This is a very interesting arrangement, isn’t it?”

Ayame turned her head just a fraction to find her face inches away from Fai’s. She was lying right on top of him.

“I’m so, so, so, sorry!” Ayame gasped and jumped up, an embarrassed blush slowly creeping across her face. Mentally, she thanked herself for choosing a pair of brown linen shorts and white button-down blouse over the skirt she wore the previous day.

Fai grinned back at her stupidly, blushing furiously himself, while ignoring the glares of the ninja who was pinned to the ground below him.

“And when do you plan to get off of me?” Kurogane snarled.

Instead of getting up, Fai threw his arms around the man, cooing, “But I like being here with Kuro-pin”

“I SAID GET OFF” Kurogane pushed Fai away like a sack of potatoes and picked himself up, fuming.

Ayame, Fai and Mokona burst out laughing on seeing the ninja’s scowling face. Even Syaoran chuckled softly.

"I'm sorry," said a voice meekly.

Ayame saw Masayoshi bowing down in apology. "Oh no, no Masayoshi-kun, don't apologize" she said kindly.

"How were you able to find where we were?" Fai asked, dusting off the dirt from his clothes.

"My kudan lets me know where people I've met are" Masayoshi answered.

"Wow” Syaoran breathed while Mokona hopped onto Masayoshi’s shoulders singing, “Amazing! Amazing!”

"No… it's not that amazing…" Masayoshi said with an embarrassed smile.

Ayame suddenly became aware of something heading their way.

“Something’s coming!” she warned the others.

Soon enough, they heard a loud, high-pitched buzzing, before a huge, bird (Ayame couldn’t find another word to describe it) swooped down and picked up Masayoshi. It flew away just as quickly as it had come, Mokona and Masayoshi’s screams fading away with every passing second. As they stared at the bird like things’ retreating form, a letter floated down. Syaoran quickly picked it up and ripped it open.

“Syaoran, what does it say?” Ayame asked peering at the letter in his hands. It all looked like random lines to her.

“It says, ‘I will meet you at the Hanshin Palace’” Syaoran replied.

Ayame looked over at Fai and Kurogane, “We need to go to Hanshin Palace”

Instead of looking alert, however, both the men just stood and blinked at them.

“What are you two staring at?” Ayame raised an eyebrow, “We need to get going!”

“Nyt tämä on mielenkiintoinen kehitys” Fai grinned. | _Now this is an interesting development_ |

“Jigoku wa koko de nani ga okotte imasu ka?” Kurogane muttered. | _What the hell is going on here?_ |

Ayame snapped her fingers close to her ears. She heard it perfectly fine. Nothing wrong with her ears then, thank goodness. Then why the hell did Kurogane and Fai sound like they were speaking gibberish?

“Syaoran, please tell me you can understand what I’m saying”

“I can, Ayame-san” he replied, his face mirroring the relief she felt.

“Then why…? She trailed off, turning her attention back to Fai and Kurogane.

Fai kept repeatedly hitting his ears, confused “Mikään ei näytä olevan vikaa korville. Ihmettelen miksi en ymmärrä mitä puhut” | _Nothing seems to be wrong with my ears. I wonder why I can't understand what you are saying_ |

“Kore wa totemo meiwakudesu” Kurogane scowled, wriggling his ears. | _This is so annoying_ |

“Ayame-san, why can’t we understand what they are saying?” Syaoran asked.

“I have no idea… there is nothing different from before…” The gears in Ayame’s brain turned and turned till finally the answer clicked in place. By the looks of enlightenment on the faces of her companions, she guessed that they figured it out too.

“Mokona!” all four of them exclaimed together.

Since both Kurogane and Syaoran could read the sign boards, the group quickly made their way to the Hanshin Palace. And Ayame chastised herself the whole way – she should have seen this coming. They were all from different worlds, obviously they spoke different languages.

‘ _We are going to be in big trouble if we don’t find Mokona_ ’ Ayame thought as they exited an underground tunnel. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw a tall, old building which was architecturally different from the rest of the city.

“I’m assuming that’s the Hanshin Palace” Ayame asked.

Syaoran nodded in response while Fai pointed at the building.

“Look there, right on top”

Ayame narrowed her eyes and stared at where the mage was pointing. She could make out two figures tied up right at the top of the tower – one small and round with big ears and the other a young boy.

“Mokona! Masayoshi-kun!” Syaoran called out.

“They look happy” Kurogane crossed his hands behind his head, “Well the meat bun is thoroughly enjoying herself”

The ninja was right; Mokona was busy swinging and giggling and basically having a merry time while Masayoshi looked like he was about to burst out crying any minute.

Ayame was about to make a comment about it when it hit her – she could understand Fai and Kurogane now.

“I can understand what you guys are saying!”

“Oh yeah! Me too!” Fai beamed.

“Finally!” Kurogane huffed.

“So it was Mokona’s ability after all” Syaoran said as they all began to sprint to cover the remaining distance between them and the palace.

“This does confirm it” Ayame agreed with him, “Mokona acts as a translator”

“Wait! So you are saying that if we get separated from that stupid rabbit, we won’t be able to understand each other?” Kurogane asked.

“Looks like it!” Fai answered gleefully.

“THAT’S SO ANNOYING!” Kurogane raged.

They reached the bottom of the tower within minutes but they had to break. In the space between the group and the entrance to the palace building, hundreds of men were gathered, all of them sporting bandanas and small, round black glasses.

“What now?” Kurogane really looked like he was ready to punch something.

Syaoran wasted no time. He went up to the edge of the crowd and held up the letter they had received.

“Excuse me! Can anyone tell me who wrote this letter?”

Ayame let out an exasperated sigh. It was good to be direct and to the point, yes. However, there are times when one needed to hold back and assess the situation, something which Syaoran just blatantly ignored. She made a mental note to talk to him about this later.

“I did!” a chirpy, sing-song voice answered Syaoran’s question.

Ayame saw a pretty, green haired girl sitting on the railing of the viewing balcony of the palace.

“PRIMERA-CHAN!” the man gathered around the palace cooed.

“Well, we were saved the trouble of asking her name” Ayame smirked.

“Who is this woman anyway?” Kurogane grunted.

His question was answered by a chorus of boos; the noise was so loud that Ayame plugged her ears and waited for the name calling to die down.

“Why is it always me?” Kurogane grumbled.

“Please let Mokona and Masayoshi-kun go!” Syaoran called out.

“Heh? Isn’t the one up there Syaoran?” Primera asked, confused.

“I’m Syaoran”

“See? This is why I keep telling you to be careful!” Ayame chided the young boy while Primera began yelling at the men who were with her in the balcony, “We have been here for less than two days and you have already built up a reputation”

She then turned to Primera and said, “Those two are not who you were looking for. So let them go!”

“Nope” Primera trilled, jumping onto the roof of the palace, “If you want them back, you have to fight me first”

Ayame slapped the palm of her hand against her forehead in irritation. What is it with everyone in this country?

“I got this!” Fai took a few steps forward.

Waves of energy began to roll off him, each wave more powerful than the previous one. Winds began to gather around him as the energy began swirl and compress, and finally took the form an enormous, green bird. Ayame gasped as the bird simmered and vanished, its power enveloping Fai and lifting him off the ground.

“That power, it’s impressive!” Ayame’s eyes followed the lithe man as he flew his way to the top of the palace, “I would say it’s a special Kudan”

Kurogane simply huffed in response while Syaoran stared with awe.

“He’s flying!” Primera pouted as Fai did cartwheels in mid-air, “I can’t even do that”

The pout was soon replaced by a confident smile as she sang, “Come out Kudan!”

Ayame felt energy gushing out of her. Even though it was not as strong as Fai’s, the power was not something to sneeze at. Her Kudan took the form of a small, handheld device. She grabbed it and fixed Fai with a challenging gaze.

“EVERYONE!” Primera sang into the device, which magnified her voice, “CHECK THIS OUT!”

Ayame felt her jaw drop slightly as the words she sang flew out of the Kudan.

‘ _Flying words! Now I’ve seen everything!_ ’

The words made a beeline for Fai and exploded.

“Fai-san!” Syaoran panicked.

“Relax, Syaoran” Ayame jerked her head towards the smoke, “Look”

Fai emerged, completely unscathed, the inane smile still intact on his face.

“That’s also a Kudan! This country is really amazing!” he lilted.

This just served to annoy Primera, who kept screaming into her Kudan, “I WON’T LOSE! NO FAIR! STOP DODGING! STOP RUNNING AWAY!”

Every single word she yelled flew out of the Kudan and exploded… and every single time, Fai avoided and dodged the attack with ease. He made it look so easy.

“Why!? I keep missing!” Primera whined.

“If I let your Kudan hit me, it would hurt a lot” Fai grinned.

The reply pissed off Primera even more, who sent another wholly of attacks. Ayame tuned out the noises of the crowd and everything around her and kept her eyes trained on Fai. He was gleefully dodging all the attacks, grinning all the way, but that didn’t fool her. She noted that every single twist and turn and back flip was planned and calculated, he didn’t waste a single movement. She had been in enough battles to identify a trained fighter when she saw one.

Which confirmed her initial observations of the mage – he wasn’t the stupid, childish man he projected himself to be. There was a lot more to him than meets the eye.

“What do you think?”

Kurogane’s question brought Ayame back to her surroundings.

Ayame didn’t see why she shouldn’t be honest, “He’s definitely had formal training. And he is used to combat”

“Yeah” Syaoran agreed.

Kurogane raised an eyebrow at that, “Aren’t you surprised?”

“I can see his training in his movements” Syaoran replied, “And also… you can feel the power when you look into his eyes”

Ayame felt a small flash of pride at Syaoran’s answer.

“You’re not as dumb as you look” Kurogane noted.

“Of course he’s not!” Ayame scoffed.

“But I still want to help him somehow!” Syaoran exclaimed, which turned the pride Ayame felt into exasperation.

“I wasn’t wrong about you being a spoilt brat” Kurogane smirked.

“You know what? I might just agree with you on that one” Ayame sighed.

A sudden surge of energy pulled Ayame’s attention back to the Kudan battle. Primera had somehow upgraded her hand-held Kudan into what she called a ‘Stand Microphone Model’. Not that the words made much sense to her, but the increase in power was unmissable.

“EVERYONE LOVES ME SO MUCH!”

Words flew out of the ‘microphone’ again, but a lot faster than before. This caught Fai off guard and the attack made contact, sending the mage crashing into a tree.

“Fai-san!” Syaoran yelled, but there was no response.

At this point, Ayame panicked a little too. Even after the upgrade, she knew that Primera’s Kudan was still not as powerful as Fai’s, but a direct hit from an attack like that could still do considerable damage. However, something told her that the blonde was just playing them.

“Stop messing around, Fai-san!” Ayame called out.

After a couple of seconds, a hand poked out of the branches, “As you say, Aya-chan!”

Fai emerged from the branches and flew up to face Primera again.

“Looks like when she was using her Kudan to fight me, Mokona didn’t feel anything. Meaning Sakura-chan’s feather is not in this particular Kudan”

Ayame, who had been watching Mokona from the corner of her eye, came to the same conclusion as well.

“So, it’s time to end this” Fai finished with a smile, though it had a steely edge to it this time.

“If that’s what you want” Primera smiled, “YOU HAVE TO BEAT ME FIRST”

The words zoomed towards Fai, but instead of dodging them, he swiftly and lightly ran over the words and reached Primera in a heartbeat.

“I don’t want to hurt such a cute girl” he said softly, “So can we please stop fighting?”

Primera first looked like she was going to throw a tantrum, but then calmed down under Fai’s gaze.

“Oh… ohkay…” she mumbled sheepishly, “I’ll stop”

“Fai-san, you were great!” Syaoran said, as Fai landed a little away from where Ayame, Kurogane and Syaoran were standing.

Fai’s response, however, was drowned out by a sharp ringing in her ears – a very familiar ringing. Ayame’s senses picked up the same presence again, the presence of the Kudan which tried to attack Syaoran the previous day. But before she could decide what to do, Ayame felt a massive orb of energy heading straight for Fai.

Ayame immediately ran towards Fai and tackled him out of harm’s way.

“Aya-chan!? What are you…?” Fai began, but the rest of his words were lost in a deafening boom as the ground just inches behind them exploded, sending dust and debris flying everywhere.

“Ayame-san! Fai-san!” Syaoran’s panicked voice sounded through the smoke.

“We’re fine” Fai called out, albeit a little shakily.

The smoke and dust finally cleared away, unveiling a crater, around six feet wide, at the spot where Fai was standing just moments ago.

“What the hell?” Kurogane rumbled, “Who did that?”

“A Kudan” Ayame replied.

“But I don’t see any around!” Kurogane snapped back, but she ignored him.

Ayame closed her eyes and tried to find the Kudan, her senses prodding and scanning. After a few painfully long seconds, she found an energy cluster just a little above the top most point of the Hanshin Palace. Her eyes snapped open as she willed her Kudan to lend her its power. In response, her right hand began to cackle with electricity and she took aim and fired a lightning bolt, which flew all the way up to the top of Hanshin Palace.

A small pocket of air above the palace fizzled as the lightning hit its mark, then melted away to reveal a gigantic falcon. Standing on top of it was a young man, who appeared to be as old as Kurogane, by Ayame’s guess. He wore a pair of black trousers, with a light green t-shirt and a leather jacket. His face lit up with a mischievous smile as he repositioned his glasses, brown eyes taking in the entire group before resting on Ayame.

“That’s the one who attacked just now” Ayame announced, glaring back.

“You know, you are good” the man grinned, running his hand through his light brown hair, “I’m impressed”

“Seiichiro-kun!” Primera gasped, “What are you doing here?”


	6. Lightning and Fire

Fai shook his head to clear out the fog in his mind. His ears were still ringing from the explosion, but he willed himself to focus. They had been attacked after all, he couldn’t afford to be distracted. If Ayame hadn’t tackled him out of the way… Fai shuddered at the thought.

“Seiichiro-kun!” Primera gasped, “What are you doing here?”

The falcon Kudan swooped down till the man called Seiichiro was eye to eye with Primera.

“It was my idea, Primera-chan” he smiled, “Can’t let you do all the work now, can I?”

“So this whole kidnapping thing was your plan?” Ayame asked, still glaring, “What was the point of this?”

“To lure you out, of course!” Seiichiro beamed, “You not only managed to sense my attack, but you also reacted enough quickly to deflect it. Even Shougo can’t do it sometimes. I was quite surprised yesterday”

His last sentence piqued Fai’s interest. What did he mean by yesterday?

“Yesterday?” Kurogane snarled.

“Oh you didn’t tell them?” Seiichiro asked Ayame gleefully.

At this, Fai, Syaoran and Kurogane all turned to look at Ayame, who smiled back weakly.

“Well… yesterday when Syaoran was fighting that guy Shougo, I felt someone aiming an attack at Syaoran. I deflected it”

Fai’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, he hadn’t sensed anything like that!

“And you didn’t tell us because?” Kurogane asked, the accusing tone of his voice unmissable.

“Hey!” Ayame replied, “There was no time! The day was pretty action packed, you know”

Kurogane then turned to Seiichiro, “Who the hell are you anyway?”

Once again, Kurogane’s question was met with boos and disapproving shouts from the crowd gathered.

“What kind of an imbecile are you!?”

“That is none other than Seiichiro Aoki! The leaders’ right hand man!”

“The only one who has defeated him is the leader!”

Fai assessed the young man, who was still standing on the back of his falcon, watching the scene in front of him with an amused smile. The power that radiated from him was tremendous. However, Fai suspected that Seiichiro was still concealing most of his strength. Not a difficult feat for someone who could launch a powerful attack undetected.

‘ _Well, mostly undetected_ ’ Fai thought, giving Ayame a sideways glance. He might have to re-evaluate the brunette.

“Let’s get to the point” Ayame said, “Why did you lure me out?”

“Isn’t that obvious, I want to fight you of course!” came the reply.

“What is with this country!?” Ayame sighed, shaking her head, “If you wanted to fight, a simple note would have sufficed”

“Now where is the fun in that” Seiichiro grinned.

“Oh, I’ll show you fun” Ayame grinned back, “You want a fight, I’ll give you a fight”

‘ _Wait, she can’t be serious_ ’ Fai thought as he turned to Syaoran and Kurogane, expecting them to stop her. Dodging and deflecting attacks is one thing, fighting was completely different.

To his surprise, Kurogane simply said, “Come back in one piece, Princess”

“Do your best, Ayame-san” Syaoran smiled.

“I’ll be back before you know it” Ayame winked.

The princess began walking forward confidently. Fai felt energy gushing out of her with every step. When she finally stopped a few feet ahead of them, he could smell ozone as the ground below her feet began to sizzle and crackle. Yellow sparks began swirling around her, twisting and moving and finally taking the form of an enormous, winged horse; Pegasus, it was called, if Fai remembered the fairy tales from Celes correctly.

The Pegasus reared, tossing its silver blonde mane as it neighed, the muscles under its snow white coat rippling. When it brought it’s hooves down with a resounding thud, sparks flew in every direction, making the hair on the back of Fai’s neck bristle. As Ayame gently patted its nose, the Kudan spread out its wings, amethyst eyes regarding her expectantly.

Seiichiro whistled, “A special Kudan. Impressive”

He then raised his right arm and on cue, the falcon Kudan dissolved into whirling currents of wind. The currents then converged on his hand and solidified into a green hilted longsword. Seiichiro swung the sword forward saying, “You don’t mind close range combat, do you?”

Ayame only smirked in response. She raised both her arms and her Pegasus Kudan disintegrated into a shower of sparks. The scattered electricity then zoomed towards her and regrouped into two, identical, purple hilted, curved blades, one on each hand. Ayame grasped the blades firmly as the air currents around her lifted her up till she was on eye level with Seiichiro. “What do you think?”

“What kind of swords are those?” Kurogane asked.

“You don’t have those kind of swords in your country, Kurogane-san?” Syaoran asked in return. When the man shook his head, he continued, “It’s called a scimitar. It is a single edged sword with a curved blade. And it’s also lighter in weight when compared to other swords”

“But a curved sword, it’s pretty unconventional” Fai said thoughtfully, “It would require a lot of skill to master a sword like that, even more skill to fight with two of those”

“True. Soldiers and warriors who use these kind of swords begin to train with them at a very early age”

“Is that so…” Fai trailed off. ‘ _She is no amateur then. I wonder how good she is..._ ’ he thought, turning his attention back to Ayame and Seiichiro.

Both of them had fixed each other with a calculating gaze, working out their opponents’ strengths and weaknesses. Not a single soul in the Hanshin Palace complex made a sound; all of them were waiting with bated breath, waiting to see who would make the first move.

As if on the drop of an invisible needle, both Seiichiro and Ayame simultaneously flew towards each other, head on. The swords clashed and there was a brilliant flash of light. Both the fighters were thrown back by the impact. Seiichiro wasted no time and quickly covered the distance between them in two long strides and thrust the sword at his opponent. Ayame deflected it with a flick of her right wrist. Almost immediately, she brought down her left sword, aiming for the chest. Seiichiro jumped out of the way quickly, missing the curved sword by a hair’s breadth. In a second, he thrusted his longsword at her again. Ayame crossed her blades and caught the sword between them. Seiichiro freed his sword with one fluid movement and cut at her, but he missed. She jumped up and lanced over him and landed a few feet behind. Ayame leapt forward and slashed, aiming for Seiichiro’s jugular. She would have hit her mark if the man hadn’t hopped back in time.

“You don’t take any prisoners, do you?” Seiichiro blocked another jab aimed at his stomach.

“Not my style” Ayame smiled wickedly as she swung her blade again.

Fai could not help but feel awed by the Princess’ grace and agility as she continued to attack Seiichiro. Her petite form obviously didn’t have the physical strength of her opponent, but she more than made up for it with her speed, not to forget her unpredictable way of fighting. Somehow, Ayame had combined sword fighting techniques with those of hand-to-hand combat, resulting in a unique battle style which made it very hard to predict where her next attack would come from. To an inexperienced eye, her attacks might seem unplanned, random even. However, Fai could see that every slash, jab, kick, and leap was well thought through; every movement was accounted for, every attack was lethal. It was like watching a deadly dance, a dance whose moves only the Princess knew. Suddenly, Fai felt thankful that he was not in Seiichiro’s shoes at the moment.

“She is good, very good” he heard Kurogane say as another flash of light lit up the complex in an unearthly glow.

“Seiichiro-san is very good too” Syaoran said, “I am surprised that he is keeping up with Ayame-san”

Kurogane and Fai both looked at the young boy for more explanation. “Back in Clow, Ayame-san is the best fighter in the kingdom” Syaoran answered their questioning look, “And being the Commander of the Army, she is extremely experienced”

‘ _Commander of the Army_ ’ Fai tried to wrap his head around those words. He had grossly underestimated her. From the look on Kurogane’s face, he guessed the ninja was thinking the same thing.

Cheering from the men gathered pulled Fai’s attention back to the fight. Seiichiro and Ayame were moving in a circle, looking for an opportunity to end the fight with one single blow. Fai figured it was about time. Both of them were short on breath. There were small rips and tears on their clothes and they sported numerous scratches and bruises – Ayame had a bleeding cut on her right forearm while Seiichiro had one on his left thigh.

“It was fun dancing around with you” Seiichiro gave a wicked smile, “But it’s time to end this, right now!”

He raised his longsword above his head and on his command, currents of air gathered and swirled around it, slowly at first, then gained momentum till the whirling wind formed a small tornado around the sword.

“Let me see you fight this” Seiichiro brought down his sword with a flourish and the tiny tornado hurtled towards Ayame. But as it got closer and closer to its victim, the tornado got bigger and bigger. The moment it reached Ayame, it was big enough to engulf her completely.

A few nervous seconds passed, but the tornado continued to howl and there was no sign of Ayame. Fai felt goosebumps erupt all over his arms as he anxiously scanned the scene. Had Seiichiro finally gotten the better of her? Beside him, Kurogane had clenched his fists. Syaoran, however, seemed calm.

Seiichiro had a triumphant smile on his face, but it soon turned into an apprehensive frown when small sparks began to buzz around the tornado. The sparks steadily grew into flashes of lightning and the twisting winds of the tornado began to lose momentum.

“How the hell…?” Seiichiro muttered as Ayame shot out of the tornado and made a beeline for him. Within a heartbeat, she stood right in front of him, holding one scimitar to his neck and the other to the wrist of his sword hand.

Fai let out a sigh of relief. She pulled it off after all.

“Looks like I won” Ayame smirked.

Seiichiro’s shocked face eased into a smile. “You’re pretty amazing!” he said as the sword in his hand melted into the air, “I yield”

“You’re not too bad yourself” Ayame winked. She took a step back and the scimitars in her hand fizzled away. “Now that you got the battle you wanted, can you let those two go?” she pointed at Masayoshi and Mokona, who were still dangling from the top of the Palace.

“Yeah, sure”

“No way!” a voice rang out in protest.

Primera was still standing on the roof Fai had left her. She glared at Seiichiro, shaking her fists in anger.

“Seiichiro-kun! You promised to help!” she wailed.

“Now, now Primera-chan. We did all this and he still didn’t show up right?” Seiichiro said, trying to calm her down, “Maybe we can plan something else next time?”

Fai couldn’t make sense of what they were saying, but he didn’t have much time to think about it. Primera burst into tears and in her distress, accidentally yelled into her Kudan, “I WON’T LOSE!”

Fai gasped as the words flew out and hit the support from which Masayoshi and Mokona were dangling. The support broke and both of them tumbled down, screaming… well the young boy screamed while Mokona squealed gleefully. Masayoshi’s Kudan appeared beside him and desperately tried to break the fall.

“WATCH OUT!” Syaoran yelled.

Before anyone could react, a stingray Kudan swooped into the scene out of nowhere and caught them both.

“What are you doing Primera?” an annoyed voice asked.

“Shougo-kun!” Primera gasped, while Seiichiro waved enthusiastically, “Hey man! How is it going?”

Fai followed their gaze and saw Shougo and the rest of his crew on the other side of the Palace complex.

“What have the two of you done this time?” Shougo sighed, while his Kudan dropped off Mokona and Masayoshi on the same roof on which Primera was standing, “Seiichiro, did you help Miss Idol pull off some stupid stunt again”

“I did not pull off any stupid stunt!” Primera yelled, “I wanted Shougo-kun to spend more time with me, so I planned all this”

“Well you didn’t plan it by yourself” Seiichiro muttered.

“Destroying a part of an important national heritage was also a part of your plan?” Shougo asked, pointing at the broken top of the Palace.

“You break stuff all the time! You have no right to lecture me!” Primera snapped back.

“She has a point you know” Seiichiro interjected.

“Don’t agree with her, dammit! You’re on my team!”

“So, let me make this clear” Ayame said as she gracefully landed near the boys, “Seiichiro wanted my attention and Primera wanted Shougo’s, so both of you orchestrated all this”

“That sums it up” Seiichiro confirmed cheerfully.

As Shougo and Primera continued their bickering, Fai turned his attention to Ayame, who was trying to wave off a concerned Syaoran.

“The cut is not that deep, Syaoran” she said, “Don’t worry”

One look at the cut told Fai that she was lying, but he didn’t say anything. She probably didn’t want the kid to worry.

“We still have to figure out who has the feather though” Ayame said, “Mokona didn’t react to Seiichiro-san’s Kudan too”

“Then who could it be…” Syaoran trailed off.

At that exact moment, Mokona called out, “Syaoran! Aya-chan!”

The little creature was hopping excitedly on the roof, her eyes wide open.

“Mokona! Those eyes!” Syaoran exclaimed.

“The feather! The feather! It’s here! It’s here!”

“Where? Do you know who has it?” Ayame asked.

“I don’t know!” Mokona answered, waving her tiny arms frantically, “But I felt a strong presence just now”

“I think it’s inside a Kudan” Fai said.

“But how does that explain the change of presence?” Kurogane asked.

Syaoran answered the question, “Sorata-san told me that a Kudan is made to protect somebody. So maybe, a Kudan is strongest when it’s protecting its master”

Fai had to admit that it made perfect sense.

“So, to be sure whether a Kudan has a feather or not, we need to fight it” Ayame concluded.

“Hey Syaoran!” Shougo called out, “I’m sorry. What I said really put you in a lot of trouble”

“You can say that again” Ayame scoffed.

“But, I did mean it when I said I liked you” Shougo continued, “Your strength comes not from your fist, but from your heart. That’s why I wanted a Kudan battle with you”

“I see” Syaoran replied. Fai felt a stir of energy and then a draft of warm air as fire enveloped the boy. “I accept your request” he finished as the fire took the form of a flaming, one-horned wolf.

“You be careful” Ayame crossed her arms over her chest, “Don’t do something reckless, okay?”

Syaoran gave a brief nod and took a few steps ahead.

At Shougo’s command all the men gathered in the courtyard of the Palace scattered away and scrambled up the nearby trees to get a better view.

“Ready? GO!” Shougo’s Kudan fired an impressive water beam. Syaoran retaliated with an equally powerful fire attack. Both the elements collided with a booming crash. The shockwaves tore open a few stones in the courtyard, sending them flying everywhere. One of them hurtled towards Syaoran, but the boy cracked it in two with an expertly placed kick.

“Wow! That was so cool!” Fai said. He didn’t just say that to sound silly, he was truly impressed. Fai saw the boys’ smooth movement as he jumped into the courtyard below. The power of his opponents’ attack hadn’t fazed him the slightest. In fact, determination glinted more strongly in his amber eyes now.

“He’s not just some handsome brat” Kurogane sounded equally impressed.

“Though he may seem a little naïve sometimes, Syaoran has been through his fair share of difficulties” Ayame replied calmly, “And he has come out of them stronger”

“You two… are very close, aren’t you?” Fai asked.

Ayame only gave a cryptic smile in response.

“Mokona, how’s the presence of the feather?” Syaoran asked.

Mokona’s face scrunched in concentration. “I can feel it, but I still can’t pin-point where it is”

Fai felt a little deflated. He had been almost sure that the feather was in Shougo’s Kudan. If it was not him, then who could it be?

“A Kudan is the strongest when it is protecting its master” Ayame said.

“Yeah, we know that part already” Kurogane said, but she ignored him, lost in thought.

“At that time… there were many Kudans… Shougo’s Kudan was there… Syaoran’s Kudan was there protecting him too…” Ayame continued to mumble to herself, “Which other Kudan was…?”

“EVERYBODY RUN!” Shougo’s shout pulled their attention back to the fight. Fai felt the stingray Kudan gather power. At the man’s command, the Kudan flooded the entire courtyard in a flash. Fai felt the ground beneath him rumble; the aggressive waves were shaking the foundation of the Hanshin Palace complex. Fai steadied himself and looked around for the chocolate haired boy. But Syaoran was nowhere to be found.

“SYAORAN-KUN!” Masayoshi screamed, panicking.

Ayame, on the other hand, didn’t look worried at all. “He is right there”

Fai followed her gaze and saw that in a small area, the water was steaming and bubbling. A second later, a sphere of fire slowly floated out… with Syaoran right in the centre of it.

“Could it be…?” From the corner of his eye, Fai saw Ayame stare at Masayoshi, “It is possible…”

“Quit your mumbling, Princess” Kurogane growled, “If you have something to say then say it”

“I think we are butting heads with the wrong Kudan” Ayame said, “I need to check”

‘ _What does she mean by check?_ ’ Fai thought.

Ayame placed the index and middle fingers of her right hand on her forehead and closed her eyes. Her brow furrowed in concentration. Immediately, Fai felt small tendrils of magic creep out of her, slowly at first. After cautiously nudging the space around her, they fanned out more confidently, searching.

Fai’s breath hitched when one of the tiny feelers came dangerously close to him. He quickly put up a shield – he couldn’t risk one of those things touching him. Fai didn’t want his lie to be caught. He sighed softly as the feeler took no heed of his shield and lazily drifted past him.

Fai focused his attention on the other tendrils. When one of them gently reached out and touched Masayoshi, Ayame’s eyes snapped open and the feelers melted away.

“It’s him. Masayoshi is the one who has the feather”

“How do you know?” Kurogane asked, steadying himself as the ground rumbled again, “Even that pork bun can’t figure out who has it”

“That’s because Mokona’s senses are scrambled and all over the place” Ayame explained, “I focused my magic at a certain point, that’s why I could feel the feather”

“So you used magic?” Kurogane probed further, “I thought you didn’t have any powers. That’s what you said yesterday, right?”

Fai had to admit, the ninja was sharp. He was right, of course. Fai recalled the conversation the had the previous day – when they were sharing the story of how they got to Yuuko’s shop from their respective worlds, Ayame had mentioned in passing that she didn’t possess any magical abilities. But she had definitely used magic just now. So what was the deal?

Ayame’s eyes flitted between Fai and Kurogane as she cautiously answered, “It’s… complicated” She then added, “But that’s not important right now! We are wasting our time! I have to tell-“

She didn’t get to complete the sentence. Another wave of tremors shook the entire complex as the waves Shougo unleashed continued to lash out aggressively. The top few floors of the Palace, which were already damaged from Primera’s unintentional attack, couldn’t hold on any longer and crumbled. Masayoshi, Mokona and Primera screamed in different pitches as the wreckage began raining down on them.

Amidst all the chaos, Fai thought he heard Masayoshi scream, “I have to be stronger” He hoped his Kudan would pick on his sentiment and do something incredible.

But nothing prepared him for what happened next.

Masayoshi’s Kudan grew bigger and bigger in size and continued to grow till the Hanshin Palace looked like a toy house in comparison. The Kudan slowly placed one hand protectively over the three tiny, terrified people on the roof, while pushing away the broken bits of the Palace with another.

“This is not what I expected…” Fai said to himself as the Kudan straightened up to full height.

“Aya-chan! Syaoran!” Mokona shouted, struggling to make herself heard above all the din, “The feather is in this Kudan!”

“I thought so” Ayame breathed, her wide eyes staring at the overgrown Kudan.

“It makes sense” Fai tilted his head slightly before continuing, “The last time Mokona felt the feather, Masayoshi was in trouble. Now too, the Kudan is protecting him”

As they watched, the Kudan swooped Masayoshi into its gigantic hands, leaving a hysterical Primera, and Mokona stranded on the roof. Then, without warning, the Kudan shot a beam of energy out of its mouth, aimed at nowhere in particular. A part of the energy attack hit the already delicate palace. The roof which was supporting Primera and Mokona gave way, and they both hurtled towards the ground screaming, clutching each other.

Once again, Shougo swooped in to save the day. He caught Primera before she could be harmed in any way.

“Way to go boss!” Seiichiro cheered, “You scored some points there!”

Shougo glared daggers at him before he gently patted Primera’s head, who clung to him and bawled. “There, there, sweetheart. I was surprised too”

“Guys” Ayame called out. When Kurogane and Fai turned to look at her, she gestured at the overgrown Kudan and said, “There’s another one of those attacks coming. We need to get out of the way”

Fai quickly summoned his Kudan’s powers and flew out of the way, while Kurogane and Ayame jumped, as another energy beam screeched past the point where they stood moments ago.

“What is up with that Kudan?” Kurogane asked as they re-grouped around Syaoran, who was standing in the courtyard staring at Masayoshi’s Kudan. It had turned away from them now and was slowly trudging towards the city. The ground trembled slightly with every step it took.

“The feather’s power is too strong. He can’t control his Kudan” Fai’s eyes quickly scanned his surroundings to assess the damage. It was considerable. The once regal Hanshin Palace was now reduced to a smouldering stump. Many of the trees surrounding the complex had been scorched and a few small fires had broken out. If the Kudan continued this way, it could destroy the entire city.

“What the hell are you gonna do?” Kurogane asked Syaoran.

“I’m gonna get the feather back” If Syaoran felt even a little afraid, he didn’t show it. His jaw was set, eyes glinted with steely determination.

“How are you going to fight something that big? You can die” Kurogane’s eyes darkened as he waited for the boy’s response.

“I won’t die” came the calm reply, “I won’t die till I have finished what I have set out to do”

Syaoran didn’t waste another second. He wrapped his arms around the flaming wolf. The Kudan leaped away, leaving an impressed Fai behind.

Syaoran was still so young, he had so much of his life to look forward to. But that didn’t stop him from diving into danger to fulfil his wish. It took courage to do that. Courage that Fai never had… a courage he knew he could never have. Fai was the one who ran away from his past and his problems. He was the restless, ever changing, ever fleeing wind. He felt a little ashamed of himself when he realised he could never possess the fire that burned in the heart of that brave young boy.

“I understand… why he got the fire Kudan… and I got the air Kudan…”

“I don’t believe this” Ayame let out an exasperated sigh.

“Aya-chan?”

“He just sprinted away and completely forgot about me! Strong or not, that boy sure has a big case of tunnel vision”

“And you think you can help against something like that?” Kurogane asked.

“I won’t know till I try, right?” Sparks buzzed around the Princess as she summoned the power of her Kudan again. There was a flash of light and this time, instead of two curved blades, a recurve bow crackled into existence. “You two take care of each other” she teased as she prepared to fly off.

“And what if you ended up getting badly injured in the process? What about your sister?” Kurogane questioned.

Ayame slowly turned around to look the ninja in the eye, the expression on her face unreadable.

“I came on this journey not only to save Sakura, but also to protect Syaoran. If anything were to happen to him, I will never forgive myself”

With that, Ayame flew away to catch up with Syaoran.

“It’s curious, don’t you think?” Fai said, “Both Sakura-chan and Aya-chan are from royalty, while Syaoran-kun is a normal citizen. Still, not only is Sakura-chan his most important person, he seems to share a deep bond with Aya-chan as well”

“Deep bonds or not, they both are complete idiots” Kurogane huffed, “But it is odd. In my world, the nobility did interact with the commoners, but not this way. I’m guessing it’s the same in yours?”

Fai only nodded in response.

Syaoran had somewhat halted the raging Kudan in its tracks by creating a few explosions in its path. But that didn’t stop it from shooting energy beams relentlessly in every direction. Syaoran bounced from one lamp post to another, from one billboard to a tall tree, in an attempt to dodge the attacks. He couldn’t get anywhere close to the Kudan.

“Syaoran! Get back!” At Ayame’s call, Syaoran leaped a good distance away from the Kudan. She quickly took aim and fired a lightning arrow. The arrow hit the Kudan right in the middle of its forehead. Thin electric currents fanned out all over its body from the point of impact and the Kudan froze in its tracks.

“Ayame-san, what are you doing here?” Syaoran asked, surprised.

“What am I doing he asks” Ayame sighed, “Never mind that. Let’s momentarily forget what an idiot you are. Masayoshi’s Kudan shouldn’t be able to move for a while. Go get the feather!”

“Right”

Syaoran’s Kudan enveloped its master. The boy dived straight into the bigger Kudan’s chest. Syaoran reached out his hand and inched towards a small, glowing point right at the heart of the Kudan. He had almost reached his target when Masayoshi screamed. The boy curled into a ball and clenched his chest, panting.

“It hurts” Masayoshi gasped.

Syaoran jumped back immediately and perched himself on a nearby pillar, “Masayoshi-kun? Are you alright?”

“It hurts. But it’s okay” Masayoshi said, “Get what you are looking for. I will be alright”

“Even though a Kudan is a spirit, it still is a part of the person” Ayame, who was hovering next to Syaoran, explained, “If you hurt a Kudan, the user will also feel the pain. It’s inevitable”

“I want to get the feather” Syaoran began slowly, “But…”

“But you don’t want to hurt him in the process” Ayame finished, giving Syaoran an indulgent smile.

Fai couldn’t help but smile too; Syaoran was righteous to a fault.

“Alright” The bow in Ayame’s hands disappeared.

“Ayame-san?”

Ayame flew over to Masayoshi. She took the boys’ trembling hands in hers and said, “Sit tight, okay? This will be over soon”

She then called out to Syaoran, “When I tell you to, dive in and get the feather. Do not hesitate. Got it?”

“Okay”

Ayame took a long, deep breath and closed her eyes. A moment later, her hands began to emit a soft, lilac tinted glow. It pulsated and grew till Masayoshi was completely enveloped by it. What on earth was she doing?

“Syaoran! Go now!”

Syaoran lunged again without delay. Fai expected Masayoshi to cry out in anguish again, but there was no sound. As a matter of fact, Masayoshi did not even flinch. The boy just blinked at Ayame, whose eyes were still closed. As Syaoran got closer to the sparkling point of light in the Kudan, the halo around Masayoshi grew in response. When Syaoran finally reached close enough to clasp his hands around the light, a wave of energy leapt out of Ayame and rolled out in every direction. As it passed by him, Fai inhaled sharply. He finally understood – Ayame had used her magic to shield Masayoshi from damage.

“You felt that too then?” Kurogane was watching him from the corner of his eye. Fai chose to keep his mouth shut. “That power was not from her Kudan, it was her own”

“It would seem so” Fai answered vaguely.

Now free from the influence of the feather, Masayoshi’s Kudan shrunk back to its normal size. Ayame’s Pegasus flickered into existence and caught Masayoshi, Ayame and Syaoran and carefully deposited them on firm ground. Seiichiro and Shougo took up the task of dousing the small fires that had erupted all over the area.

When the dust and steam cleared away, Fai finally got a good look at Syaoran. The boy was covered in soot and his clothes were singed at random spots. Small, deep red bruises began appearing all over his hands. But Syaoran payed no attention to all this. His eyes were fixed on the beautiful, delicate white feather that sat on his palm. Syaoran’s face reflected all the relief he felt. Ayame’s face shone with similar relief as she fondly ruffled the boy’s hair.

“You got it, Syaoran”

“We did it together, Ayame-san”

Fai couldn’t agree more. Both of them worked together as a team and blew away all the hindrances with an awe inspiring storm and retrieved the feather. A storm of lightning and fire.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A couple of points I want to make. I know Seiichiro is completely OOC here, but I have a good reason. The Seiichiro we know from X is this super calm guy, right? I always thought that was because he was kinda wild in his younger days. In my mind, I pictured him as this troublemaking making youngster who did plenty of mischief and then finally settled down to the sweet guy we know. That’s where the inspiration came from.
> 
> Also, Ayame’s scimitars. Nothing special really. If you guys had trouble visualising them, do a Google image search for scimitar. The first couple of pictures will give you a fair idea.


	7. A New World

Dull, grey clouds hung low in skies of Hanshin, toning down the general upbeat mood of the city. The citizens kept sending furtive glances to the heavens as they went about their business, different variants of the same thought running in their minds – it was going to rain soon. Well, almost everyone. The exception was a group of youngsters, who were dashing through the streets without giving the overcast sky a second thought.

Ayame struggled to keep up with Syaoran as they ran through the twisting lanes of the city. Using two different spells on the same day with her meagre magic source had really drained her, but adrenaline kept her going. Excitement pumped in her veins – they had found a feather and her precious little sister was, finally, going to wake up.

“Hey, Syaoran! You’re back!” Sorata greeted the boy as he sprinted into the courtyard of the hotel.

Syaoran beamed at the man and hurried inside without a word.

“What’s up you guys? Why the rush?” A confused Sorata asked Ayame, who was right on Syaoran’s heels.

Ayame didn’t stop either, but she answered “We found Sakura’s feather”

“That’s awesome!” she heard Sorata.

Ayame ran up the stairs, two at a time. When she reached Sakura’s room, she quickly kicked off her ankle boots at the door and skidded to a stop near Syaoran. She kneeled down next to him. Syaoran gently dropped the feather on Sakura’s chest. A soft light filled the room and the feather slowly sunk into the young girl.

Ayame’s heart thumped madly as the light faded away, pushing more adrenaline into her system. Her eyes darted from Sakura’s face to her arms, and then to her feet, looking for the slightest twitch, the tiniest of movement. Next to her, Syaoran held one of Sakura’s hands in his, gently squeezing it.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Ayame saw movement under Sakura’s eyes. Relief washed over her as the young girl’s eyelids fluttered and she slowly opened her eyes.

“Oh thank the heavens!” Ayame let out the breath she had been unconsciously holding.

“Sakura!” Syaoran exclaimed.

Sakura blinked sluggishly and her eyes focused on Syaoran’s relieved face.

“Who… are you?”

And suddenly, the entire world came to a standstill. Ayame tore her gaze from the innocently confused young girl and fixed it on Syaoran. The boy’s eyes had widened in shock. Then, a painful understanding flickered through the amber depths as he slowly placed Sakura’s hand down. The relief that had swam through Ayame’s body was now mingled with despair. She felt so helpless.

Syaoran trembled slightly as emotions Ayame couldn’t even begin to comprehend raked through him. Just when it looked like it was impossible for him to hold on anymore, the boy regained his composure. He gave Sakura a warm smile.

“I’m Syaoran. And you are Princess Sakura”

“Syaoran…kun…?”

Syaoran’s breath hitched. Ayame knew why – it had been years since Sakura had addressed him formally. She bit the insides of her cheeks when she saw Syaoran clench his fists, trying hard not to let his true feelings show.

Silence stretched painfully, punctuated only by the soft pattering of the rain against the glass windows; the clouds of Hanshin had chosen to finally let go.

Ayame decided it was time for Syaoran to let go too. He didn’t deserve to suffer like this. She reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder. Syaoran’s eyes snapped up to meet hers. Ayame gave him a small, meaningful nod. The boy got the message and stood up without further delay.

“Listen to me very carefully” Ayame said, pulling the dazed girl’s attention from Syaoran, who was hurriedly leaving the room, “You are Princess Sakura. You come from a place called Clow Kingdom, which is in another world”

“Another… world…?”

Ayame’s chest clenched painfully at the lack of energy in her sisters’ voice. She steeled herself and continued, “I know this must be very confusing for you. That is because you have lost all your memories. We are in another world to recover them”

“Me alone!?”

“No! No!” Ayame said quickly and gave Sakura a reassuring smile. In the back of her mind, however, Ayame panicked just a little. How much of herself did her sister really get back?

“Syaoran and I, both are travelling with you” She gulped as she added, “My name is Ayame”

“A…ya…me…” Sakura rolled the word on her tongue as she nimbly propped herself up on her elbows.

For the second time in a matter of minutes, Ayame was holding her breath. All she could hear was the rush of blood pumping inside her head. Never had she been so terrified – she would rather take on twenty soldiers armed to the teeth than face the possibility that her baby sister might not remember her just yet.

Ayame felt she was going to pass out due to lack of oxygen when Sakura spoke again.

“Ayame… nee… chan?” she said slowly, recognition giving some light to the otherwise misty emerald eyes.

The older princess’ body moved on its own accord. Her hands wrapped themselves around Sakura’s shoulders and pulled them closer till the young girl’s head rested on the crook of Ayame’s neck.

“I remember” Sakura’s sleepy voice came out a little muffled, “A palace in the desert… and… I live in the palace… with Touya-nii… and you… Nee-chan…”

“That’s right” Ayame managed to say, her insides relaxing, relief and happiness filling her up till she felt light headed.

The joy was, however, sprinkled with a little shame. Ayame couldn’t get Syaoran’s heartbroken face out of her mind. But now that she had Sakura safe and sound in her arms she felt a small glimmer of hope; she would work something out. She will find a way to make both, Sakura and Syaoran, happy. No matter what.

“Don’t forget about us you know!”

Fai walked into the room, grinning. Mokona was perched on his shoulder while Kurogane was a few paces behind him.

“These people here are also travelling with us” Ayame answered the unspoken question in Sakura’s eyes.

“It’s good to see that you are finally awake, Princess Sakura” Fai said, bowing, “My name is Fai D. Flowright”

He then pointed at Kurogane “This is –“

“Kurogane” the ninja cut in smoothly.

Mokona bounced into Sakura’s lap and introduced herself, “I am Mokona Modoki! But you can call me Mokona”

Sakura immediately took a liking to Mokona. She smiled at the little creatures’ squeaky giggles when she tickled her. After a minute or so, Sakura’s eyes glazed over and she swayed a little, dropping Mokona, who landed with a small ‘puu~’

Ayame caught Sakura before she could fall back heavily on her futon. She laid the girl down gently and tucked her coversheet under her chin.

“When I was sleeping… who held my hand…?” Sakura mumbled softly, “The hand felt so warm and caring…” She then drifted into a deep sleep.

Ayame got up and made her way to the window. Out there, in the pouring rain, stood the person whose hand had given the sleeping girl warmth.

“I thought he would start crying, right then” Fai was standing to her right, “When she asked ‘Who are you?’ I thought he would cry”

“He is crying right now…” Ayame whispered.

“Anyone who doesn’t cry can’t be strong” Kurogane had moved across the room and was standing to her left, “No matter what happens, after you cry, you can face the problem better”

“But…” Fai began uncertainly.

Ayame understood what Kurogane meant, though. “Crying when you need to cry is another way to show strength”

She then turned and started walking towards the door.

“Aya-chan, where are you going?”

“He has to cry, it’s the only way to move forward, that is true” she answered without turning back, “But that doesn’t mean he has to do it alone”

Before the two men could say anything else, Ayame walked out of the room. She didn’t bother putting on her boots. She trudged down the stairs, her chest getting heavier with each step… the same stairs which she and Syaoran had raced up with excitement minutes ago. Ayame reached the front door and stepped out, into the pouring rain.

The heavy, cold drops of water hammered on her, drenching her to the bone in seconds. Her wet clothes stuck to her, sapping out every ounce of warmth, sending a shiver up her spine. She could feel the muddy water under her bare feet as she took a step towards Syaoran. But then Ayame stopped.

With what right was she going to comfort him? How could she even begin to understand his pain? She was not suffering the way he was right now. Sakura had remembered her; she had not looked at her like she was a stranger. The shame she had felt earlier came back with increased intensity, making her bite her lips. She had no right at all.

However, those thoughts flew out of her mind when she saw Syaoran’s shoulders tremble and shake uncontrollably. Ayame knew that she could never understand his pain. But she realised that she didn’t have to understand. All she had to do was let him know that she would always be there for him, always have his back.

Puddles splashed as she quickly covered the distance between them. Ayame draped her arms on Syaoran’s shoulders from behind and placed her chin on top of his head. The boy didn’t flinch at the contact, his shoulders continued to quiver and Ayame felt warm tears fall on her forearms mingled with the frigid rain.

A chilly breeze swept through the courtyard, and goosebumps erupted all over her arms and legs. But it didn’t matter. Ayame would stand there as long as it took, as long as it took for the brave boy to cry out his pain.

**XXX**

Hair was dried using a fascinating electrical device, injuries were tended to. A steaming mug of coffee was forced into bruised, reluctant hands. After its contents had been emptied, the young boy had been tucked into bed with a strict request to get a good nights’ sleep.

And through all this, Ayame struggled to keep herself conscious. Her vision had begun to go blurry and her joints buckled, but she kept going through sheer will power.

Ayame had underestimated how draining it would be to perform the spells, but she was happy that it went well, considering how long it had been since she did any magic. She was even more thankful for her eidetic memory, without which remembering those techniques she had read on dusty, crackled scrolls years ago would have been impossible.

She continued to keep up a brave front as she waved good night to Fai, Kurogane, Sorata, and Arashi and quickly made her way to her room. The moment she crossed the door frame, however, her body decided to give up. Stars swum in front of her eyes as she stumbled towards her futon, desperate to lie down before her roommates could walk in and notice her state. Her legs didn’t cooperate though, they refused to hold her weight. Ayame’s vision tilted. She felt the jarring impact of her shoulders slamming into the wooden floor and then, her eyelids fluttered shut.

“Aya-chan… you alright?” Fai asked, slowly stepping into the room, “I thought I heard -” His words were cut short when he saw Ayame lying on the wooden floor, one arm extended towards her still folded futon.

Fai quickly rushed to her side and rolled her onto her back. He first placed one hand on her forehead and then moved it over her nose. He sighed with relief – her temperature was normal and her breathing even.

“Looks like she fell asleep”

Fai got up, gathered Ayame’s futon and arranged it near the window; the same spot she had picked the day before. He then scooped up the princess, laid her down on the futon and spread a coversheet over her.

“So that’s the kind of person you are” Fai said to himself, “You look after everyone, but you don’t let anyone look after you”

**XXX**

Kurogane kept his eyes closed as the initial sharp jab of pain from the rough landing slowly receded, leaving behind a dull throb. When he was sure that there was no injury, he opened his eyes. The sun was high up in the clear blue sky. From its position, he guessed it was some time just before noon. As he raised up one hand to shield his face from the blinding daylight, he sighed.

A talking rabbit who sprouted wings, swallowed them up and transported them into another world. Even if it happened another 200 times, he would never get used to it. Kurogane brushed a few potatoes off him and straightened himself up.  The group had crash landed into a vegetable cart, right in the middle of a busy market. People were staring at them, pointing and whispering. Kurogane didn’t blame them – if someone had fallen out of the sky in his hometown, he would have stared too.

“Where are we anyway?” he asked, taking in his surroundings.

At first glance, the place looked a lot like Nihon. However, he soon noticed the small, but significant differences – the clothes the people wore, the architecture of the castle that stood tall and mighty at the distance, was different from his home world. He clicked his tongue, irritated. Of course it was not going to be that easy.

Sound of heavy footsteps heading their way caught Kurogane’s attention. He turned and saw that they belonged to a large, bullish man with a ridiculous hairdo. Behind him stood about twenty or so men, all wearing bandanas and carrying long sticks.

“Who the hell are you?” he roared, his tiny eyes looking at each of them one by one menacingly.

Kurogane tensed a little and saw Fai and Ayame do the same. Surprisingly, there was no reaction from Syaoran. No one answered him.

“Answer me! Where did you come from!?” This time, the man didn’t just yell; he lunged forward and grabbed Sakura’s arm roughly.

Now, it didn’t take Syaoran even a second to respond. He jumped up and delivered a swift kick to the man’s jaw. Syaoran stood protectively in front of Sakura as the man stumbled back in shock. Then, before the big bully could retaliate, Ayame pounced and her fist met his nose with a satisfying crunch, sending the man crashing into the ground.

“Served him right” Kurogane smirked. Fai and Mokona cheered.

The man staggered to his feet, nursing his bruised cheek and bleeding nose. “Do you realise who I am?”

“Stop right now!” A shout rang through the market place.

Kurogane quickly found the owner of the voice. A young girl with long, black hair tied into a ponytail was standing on the roof of one of the nearby houses. She was glaring at the large man, disgust etched on her face.

“Don’t mess around with people you don’t know, you dumbass”

“Chunhyang!” the man roared, veins in his forehead bulging out in taut chords, “WHO DID YOU JUST CALL DUMB?”

The girl looked around in mock surprise. “Is there another dumb person around here besides you?”

“How dare you!? He is the son of the Ryanban-sama, the ruler of Koryo” one of the bandana wearing men yelled.

The girl called Chunhyang huffed in reply, “Even if he is the Ryanban now, he was nothing more than a homeless magician a year ago”

The man quivered with anger. “How dare you talk about my Aboji like that!? Anyone who speaks against the Ryanban will pay a steep price. You should know that better than anyone, Chunhyang”

At this the girl clenched her fists and bit her lip. Tears began to form in the corner of her eyes.

‘ _Now I get what’s going on…_ ’ realisation dawned on Kurogane. It was an altercation between a tyrannical ruler and the oppressed subjects. Kurogane had seen similar scenarios back in his world. And he also knew that mostly, the ruler always wins; unless a higher authority intervened. The common people can’t really do anything about it.

Kurogane couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed; he wouldn’t get to throw a few punches after all.

“I will come back for revenge” the man threatened, “You better watch out!”

He then stomped away towards the castle. The bandana wearing men followed him swiftly. The rest of the crowd began dispersing too.

“Wow” Fai said, looking at everybody’s retreating backs, “Just a moment ago, they all were looking at us”

“Typical town crowd” Ayame sighed. Then turning to an extremely sleepy looking Sakura she asked, “You alright?”

“I’m okay, Nee-chan” Sakura said softly. “You and Syaoran-kun kept me safe” she added, glancing at Syaoran, who was picking up all the strewn vegetables.

“Let’s help him get things in order, shall we?” Ayame gave her sister an indulgent smile.

“Oh Kuro-pin!” Fai cooed, “You too help us pick these up!”

“MY NAME IS KUROGANE, YOU IDIOT!” he yelled, lunging to take a swing at the man. Fai ducked out of the way and loped off, giggling.

“Don’t be so grumpy all the time” Ayame laughed.

Kurogane turned away with a huff and went about picking up the produce strewn around.

The next ten minutes were spent mostly in silence as he and his fellow travellers helped the shopkeepers get their things in order; well except for Sakura who mostly followed her older sister around. When they were almost done, Kurogane heard a comment directed at them.

“You look weird”

Chunhyang was looking pointedly at the group.

Fai laughed and poked Kurogane in the chest. “Weird! It’s definitely you, Kuro-rin”

“IF I’M WEIRD THEN YOU’RE WEIRD TOO!”

The pointed look on Chunhyang’s face had now turned into a mixture of shock and surprise.

“Come with me!” she said. She firmly took Ayame’s and Sakura’s hands in her own and started running, forcing the two princesses to run with her too.

“Hey, please wait!” Syaoran called out, running after them.

“We should go too” Fai said.

Of course they had to, they had no choice. And Kurogane hated that.

“I’m sick of this!” he yelled.

**XXX**

“I see” Fai said, “You thought we were the Amenosa… er…” He looked at the girl expectantly. Fai hadn’t caught her name before.

“Chunhyang” the girl replied.

“Chunhyang is it? My name is Fai. And this is Syaoran” – the boy gave a small smile – “This is Sakura” – the young girl was rubbing her eyes. He then pointed at the ninja with a flourish, saying “That’s Kuro-puu”

Kurogane, who was sitting a little away from them and reading the book he brought from Hanshin, yelled, “MY NAME IS KUROGANE!”

“And finally, this is Aya-chan” – he pointed at the princess, who was sitting next to Sakura – “Our groups’ very own Warrior Princess”

That comment earned him a hard smack on the back of his head.

“That hurt, Aya-chan” Fai cried, but his tone gave away his amusement.

“The ruler of this place, the Ryanban, he is a tyrant. That’s why the people are waiting for the Amenosa to show up?” Ayame asked Chunhyang, ignoring Fai’s wailing.

“He is the worst!” Chunhyang replied, her lower lip trembling with frustration, “He… my Omoni…”

The girl was interrupted by a loud creak, which seemed to be coming from the roof. As they watched, the wooden beams began to sway and the creaking was now accompanied by the fervent rattling of the tiles.

“Is that… the wind?” Fai asked. But, he already knew that whatever was causing the whole house to tremble was not natural. There was an external force influencing the wind, he could feel it.

“Don’t go outside!” Chunhyang warned.

The moment the girl uttered those words, the windows slammed open. The wind, which was shaking the house, entered with a roar. Fai quickly caught Mokona before she could fly away and planted his feet firmly on the floor as the currents threatened to swoop him up along with them. All around him, he could hear the shattering of glass, the snapping of breaking wood, the banging of doors as the wind ravaged the house. The roof was torn apart with a resounding crash and the wind left just as suddenly as it came. Fai’s senses could feel magic trickling away slowly as the miniature storm dissipated with a soft whoosh. Everyone stared up at the gaping hole in the roof, too shaken to speak.

Fai broke the silence, “It wasn’t the normal wind… was it?”

“Obviously” Ayame said, “There was magic involved”

“It’s the Ryanban” Chunhyang said, her voice trembling with anger. She then threw her head back and yelled, “THAT GUY! HE DID IT!”

Ayame walked over to the girl and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Look at the bright side, no one is hurt”

Chunhyang calmed down under Ayame’s gaze and finally gave a small smile. “Yeah”

“I’m sorry, Chunhyang-san” Syaoran said, bowing deeply, “If I hadn’t kicked the Ryanban’s son, they wouldn’t have attacked your house”

“I’m sorry too” Ayame said, bowing down as well.

Fai was a little surprised by their gesture. Well, on second thought, it was completely expected of Syaoran to apologise, but he hadn’t expected such behaviour from the princess. It was not usual for a royal to behave like that. But then again, it was not exactly normal for a princess to be the leader of the army, now was it?

“Please, don’t do that!” Chunhyang said, a little embarrassed, “It was not your fault. That idiot shouldn’t have attacked you the way he did” She then added, “You guys are travellers, right?”

“Yeah, we just got here” Syaoran replied.

“Have you decided on a place to stay yet?”

“We haven’t exactly had time to think about that” Fai said.

“Then why don’t you guys stay here? I have plenty of room” Chunhyang offered.

“Is it really alright if we stay here?” Sakura asked, her voice soft and timid.

“Of course! You all seem like really nice people” Chunhyang cast a glance at Kurogane and added in a small voice, “Well most of you at least”

Fai wasted no time. “See, Kuro-ne, everyone thinks you’re scary”

“WHY IS IT ALWAYS ME!?” Kurogane raged.

“You scream and shout like that and you wonder why” Ayame quipped.

Kurogane scowled in response.

“So, why are you guys travelling?” Chunhyang asked.

“We are… looking for something…” Syaoran replied.

Chunhyang understood that there was a lot more than the boy was letting on, but she didn’t push further. “Then you should go out into town. I’ll show you around. And if you are planning to stay here for a while, you should probably think about buying some local clothes”

“I’ll go” Syaoran said, an understanding passing between him and Ayame.

“I… I want to go too” Sakura said softly.

“Sakura, I don’t think you should” Ayame said, her voice laced with concern.

Fai agreed. Sakura looked like she was going to fall asleep right where she stood.

“But…” Sakura said, her gaze lingering on Syaoran.

A flicker of understanding passed through Ayame’s eyes. “Alright” she sighed, “But promise me you’ll be careful, okay?”

“I promise” Sakura smiled.

**XXX**

And so, Syaoran, Sakura, Mokona, and Chunhyang went out into town, leaving Ayame, Fai, and a very grumpy Kurogane behind (Kurogane had wanted to go too, saying that they could find the Ryanban and beat him up or something. All those ideas were snuffed out by one sharp smack on his head).

Ayame placed her hands on her hips as she turned to look at Fai and Kurogane. “Alright! Let’s make ourselves useful”

She only got blank stares in response.

“We are going to help fix up the house of course!”

“Okay!” Fai beamed. Seemed like the decent thing to do after all.

“Fai-san and I can sweep up this mess and put everything in order. Mr. Grouchy can start fixing the roof. Chunhyang told me that you will find whatever you need in the shed in the backyard”

“Hey, who are you calling Mr. Grouchy?” Kurogane snarled.

“You see what I mean” Ayame giggled.

“And why should I help anyway?” Kurogane asked.

“She is letting us live here, it’s the least we can do, Kuro-chii” Fai replied.

Kurogane opened his mouth to protest, but Ayame interrupted him. “I’m counting on you” her tone dangerously flat.

The ninja shot daggers at Ayame before pulling off his hood and dumping it in one corner of the room. He then stomped his way to the afore mentioned shed, grumbling and muttering under his breath.

“One of these days, he’s going to kill us” Fai laughed.

“We’ll cross that bridge when we get there” Ayame shook off her own cloak and stretched her arms “Let’s get to work”

“Shouldn’t you be resting till you get your full strength back?” Fai said, “We don’t want you to collapse again now, do we?”

Ayame, who was picking the pieces of a broken vase, froze in mid-action. She set the shards on the table and slowly turned around to look at him, a deep red blush rising up from her neck and into her face.

“So I did collapse last night?” she asked sheepishly.

“Yup” Fai smiled.

“Oh, this is so embarrassing” Ayame hid her face with her hands, “My memory is kinda blurry… I thought I had fainted, but when I woke up, I was in bed… so I thought…”

“You had fainted when I found you” Fai grinned as the blush got deeper and deeper, “It would have been rude to leave you lying on the floor like that, so I tucked you into bed”

“I got the point!” Ayame wailed, “You don’t have to rub it in my face”

“I can’t help it. You look so adorable when you are embarrassed”

“Stop flirting, will you!” Ayame looked like she was ready to kick something. Fai couldn’t stop laughing.

“But on a serious note, you still look tired, you should rest up” Fai said, his smile shortening a little.

Ayame waved off Fai’s comment, “I’m perfectly alright” She then grasped a broom and began sweeping the floor.

Fai shook his head and grabbed another broom. He had been right, she really didn’t let anyone look after her.

**XXX**

By the time the sun began tipping heavily towards the horizon, Fai and Ayame were mostly done cleaning the house. They had swept away the broken glass and ceramic, cleared bits of broken wood, set the tables, straightened out shelves and paintings, and together hoisted a massive iron cabinet back in place; the pace of their work set by the steady ‘bang’ of hammer hitting nail as Kurogane repaired the roof.

“Finally, it’s all done” Ayame sighed.

“This house is so big, I thought it would take forever” Fai plopped down on the now clean floor.

“It’s amazing that girl lives alone in this house” Kurogane said, adjusting a nail on the wooden plank he was hammering into place, “She’s like, what, twelve?”

“Yeah” Fai replied, “She said her mother died”

“It must have been tough on her” Ayame said.

Although her voice was steady, Fai thought he saw the lilac of Ayame’s eyes tinted with sadness. But it was there just for a fraction of a second. One blink, and it was gone. Maybe he imagined it.

“You know what, I think we deserve a small treat” Ayame said thoughtfully, “Would you two like some tea?”

“I would love some” Fai beamed. Kurogane simply shrugged.

Ayame skipped her way to the kitchen saying, “I’ll be back soon”

The moment she disappeared from view, Kurogane leaned down and asked, “Hey, how long do you think we are going to stay here”

“You purposely waited till she left, didn’t you?” Fai teased.

“Just answer the bloody question” Kurogane snapped.

“Well, the duration of our stay completely depends on Mokona… and Mokona won’t leave till we retrieve the feather in this world. If there is a feather here that is”

Fai laughed as the ninja ferociously hammered away in irritation. “Why does that pork bun always side with that brat and the princess?”

“Don’t be like that Kuro-pii. Syaoran, Sakura, and Mokona are out spying with Chunhyang. I’m sure we’ll get some clue. Hopefully, they’ll get us some presents too”

“But is it alright to let princess junior wander around like that?” Kurogane asked, a small crease forming between his brows, “All she does is eat and sleep”

“She’s got only two feathers back, it’s not enough to retrieve her personality” Fai said quietly as his usual smile slipped off his face, “She cannot really think for herself, like a small child”

“Then it wasn’t a good idea to let her go out” Kurogane concluded.

“I agree, letting her go in her state probably wasn’t the best idea”

Ayame had returned, carrying a tray holding a steaming pot of tea and three small cups. She set the tray down next to Fai and turned to look up at Kurogane.

“Princess junior? Really? What do you have against names?”

Kurogane’s face flushed bright red. Fai couldn’t help but think that he looked like a candy-stealing child caught red handed.

“So, you are the type who gets easily embarrassed” Ayame giggled.

“Whatever” Kurogane muttered.

“Aya-chan, you were eavesdropping” Fai gasped with mock horror.

“I really wasn’t. I could hear you both loud and clear” Ayame clarified.

“So then, why did you let her go if you thought it was a bad idea” Kurogane pressed, eager to change the topic.

Ayame sat down heavily and sighed. “Sakura has always had this way of getting what she wants. She makes her eyes go all wide and cute… I just can’t say no”

“What are you, a doting mother?” Kurogane smirked.

“Whatever” Ayame scowled.

She then continued, “It’s not like I didn’t think it through. This was the first time Sakura showed interest in something since she woke up. Fulfilling her curiosity will actually do her some good”

“I guess that makes sense” Kurogane jumped down and seated himself next to Fai and added, “I’m taking a break”

True, what Ayame had said made perfect sense. However, Fai guessed… no, he _knew_ there was something more to the princess’ decision.

“But that’s not the only reason, right?” he said slowly.

“I don’t know what you mean by that” Ayame replied smoothly, passing a steaming cup first to Fai, and then Kurogane. Her defensive tone gave Fai the proof he needed.

“You sent Sakura with Syaoran, so that they could spend more time together” Fai explained, “You are always looking out for those two children. That is so cute”

“That makes you the doting mother of two” Kurogane grinned.

“Shut up, Gloomy” came Ayame’s retort.

“Stop that already!”

“Oh there’s more where that came from, bone-idle knucklehead”

“Bone-idle… Who are you calling lazy!?”

“You, obviously. You haven’t finished your work and you are sitting here, drinking tea”

“Well you and that mage were doing the same!”

“We finished our work, you didn’t. Slowpoke!”

“I TOLD YOU TO STOP THAT!”

“Don’t tell me, you started it”

Fai clutched his stomach and almost rolled on the floor, laughing, as Ayame and Kurogane continued to squabble. Just for a while, he forgot that he was not like the others who were on this journey, forgot about all the curses, promises, and wishes. Fai could get used to this; drinking sweet, warm tea with two of the most amusing people he had ever met.

“You both are acting so childish, get a hold of yourselves” Fai said, wiping tears from his eyes.

“You have no right to say that!” Ayame and Kurogane snapped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments, thoughts, constructive criticism is very much appreciated. Thank you for reading :)


	8. The Ryanban's Castle

“Here, take this. First clean out the cut, then apply the salve. He should feel a lot better” Ayame explained to a sleepy Sakura.

“Will he be fine, Nee-chan?” Sakura asked.

“He will be alright in no time” Ayame gave the girl a reassuring smile.

“It’s all because of me, isn’t it?” Sakura twisted her fingers anxiously, “Maybe if I hadn’t gotten in the way, Syaoran-kun wouldn’t have hurt himself”

“Hey, listen to me” Ayame reached out and cupped Sakura’s cheek, “It’s not because of you. Syaoran did exactly what he wanted to do. You didn’t force his hand, no one did. And in the exact same way, you should do what you want to as well”

“I want to help in every way I can” Sakura said softly.

Ayame couldn’t help but feel a pang of pain as she followed her sister into the room where the others were seated. Ever since Sakura woke up, she always seemed so timid and nervous. It was the exact opposite of what she was before – loud, vibrant, and cheerful. Ayame knew that two feathers were not nearly enough to get Sakura’s previous self back, but she couldn’t help but worry. She worried that in her state, Sakura might not be able to handle the difficulties of their travel.

“It seems to me that the Ryanban has been oppressing the people of this town” Kurogane was saying as Ayame sat down next to Chunhyang. Sakura busied herself with treating Syaoran’s wound. “Why haven’t you and the townsfolk retaliated?”

“We tried, many times!” Chunhyang answered, “But we could never lay a finger on him. The castle is protected by secret spells. No one can penetrate them”

“Something like a barrier, surrounding the whole castle, right?” Ayame had felt the power oozing out of the castle ever since they had landed in this world.

“You sensed the power, Aya-chan?” Fai asked.

Ayame nodded. Mokona hopped into her lap and said, “Mokona felt it too. There are mysterious powers in this world, and I can’t tell if any of it is from the feather”

The group lapsed into a momentary silence, all of them thinking of ways to get to the Ryanban. After a minute or so, Fai spoke up.

“What about the Ryanban’s son? We could keep him hostage”” The cheerful tone of his voice and the inane grin on his face did not match the gravity of his suggestion.

“You just proposed kidnapping a little too jovially” Kurogane noted, but there was an unmistakable undertone of amusement in his voice.

“That won’t work” Ayame reasoned, “If the Ryanban has the power to cast strong spells on the castle and control the wind, he will definitely have some way to keep track of his son. If we do something like that, it’s possible he might retaliate by attacking the town” Chunhyang nodded her agreement.

They fell into another bout of silence, which was punctuated with Syaoran’s soft hisses as Sakura dabbed the salve on the cut on his forehead. Once again, Fai was the first one to speak.

“The Ryanban and his power” he said slowly, “From what I heard, he got his so called power suddenly about a year ago…”

“Your point being?” Kurogane asked.

Fai gave Ayame a meaningful look. Realisation hit her like a hammer on a nail.

“His sudden power, it could be related to Sakura’s feather!”

Syaoran slowly brushed away Sakura’s hands, listening more intently now.

“But the timeline doesn’t match” Kurogane pointed out, his brows furrowed sceptically, “The feathers were scattered recently, right?”

“Since the dimensions are different, maybe time passes differently in them too” Fai explained.

It made sense to Ayame. But what didn’t make sense was the conviction with which Fai offered the explanation. She couldn’t shake off the feeling that the mage knew a lot more than he was letting on.

“I’ll go check if the Ryanban has the feather” Syaoran stood up.

“Wait!” Sakura grabbed the sleeve of Syaoran’s clothes to stop him, “Syaoran-kun, you’re hurt!”

“Don’t worry about it” Syaoran gave her a warm smile, “If the feather is there, I will get it”

Sakura bit her lips and turned to look at Ayame, her emerald eyes pleading silently.

Ayame gave her sister a small nod and said, “Hold it right there, Syaoran. Don’t you think you are being a little too reckless?”

“But… Ayame-san…” Syaoran said, “The feather…”

“Yes, the feather, I know, we need to get it” Ayame replied, “But this is not like Hanshin Republic. Back there, people just wanted test your strength. So, you could take the risk of going head on. Here, the Ryanban will not hesitate to kill anyone who gets in his way” – she shot a quick glance at Chunhyang before continuing – “That’s why, before we go to his castle, we need a plan”

“She is right” Fai said, his usual silly expression replaced by a slightly serious one, “The Ryanban’s powers are strong, so just marching up to the castle will not serve any purpose. You need to find a way to break the spell at the entrance at least”

“Can you do anything about it?” Kurogane asked.

The childish smile was back on Fai’s face as he replied, “Not at all!”

Kurogane began to yell something about suggesting things one can’t help with when Mokona chirped, “Let’s ask Yuuko!”

The little creature jumped out of Ayame’s lap. The red jewel on her forehead gleamed and projected a circle of light, just like it had done a few days before. Ayame watched with curiosity this time, while around her, everyone reacted differently as the image of the witch flickered in the circle of light – Kurogane flinched violently, Chunhyang shrieked and clung to a perplexed Sakura, Syaoran stared, his jaw hanging open and Fai looked pleasantly surprised.

Mokona began explaining their situation to Yuuko while Fai pointed at the fluffy creature saying, “Mokona is very useful. We can talk to people from other worlds”

“Useful has limits too!” Kurogane yelled, also pointing at Mokona.

“I see” Yuuko said, “So you want to break the spell and go into the castle”

“That sums it up” Fai answered.

“But you don’t have to ask me” Yuuko began carefully, fixing Fai with a stern gaze, “You can use spells, can’t you Fai?”

This piqued Ayame’s interest.

“I gave you the core of my powers” Fai replied without hesitation.

Ruby eyes remained fixed on sapphire ones as Yuuko said, “The tattoo I took from you as payment, is the core to keep your powers in. It’s not the source of your powers”

Alarm bells went off inside Ayame’s head. Not because Fai had lied, she knew he was hiding something, but because someone had put an enchantment on him to curb his powers. Ayame couldn’t help but wonder, just how powerful was he that such a measure was taken?

Fai’s smile hardened around the edges as he replied, “But still, I had made a decision a long time ago to not use my magic without it”

Fai’s answer only made Ayame more suspicious. If that was the case, he could have said so in the first place. Why did he have to lie about it? Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Kurogane and Syaoran give Fai similar looks of doubt. The mage stared pointedly ahead, not meeting any of their eyes.

A few nervous seconds ticked by before the Witch of Dimensions sighed and turned her attention to Ayame. “What about you?” she asked.

“What about me?” Ayame asked back, confused.

“You have recovered a little bit of your abilities, right?”

Now, it was Ayame’s turn to be cautious. She hadn’t exactly explained that little part to her companions yet.

“Yes, I have” she replied, briefly meeting Syaoran’s surprised eyes before continuing, “But I’m not sure I have enough power to break the spells around the castle. There is also the fact that I haven’t done anything like this before”

“That shouldn’t be a problem” Fai said, “In the previous world, you instinctively knew how to build shields. If your body remembers how to build them…”

“It will also instinctively know how to break them” Yuuko finished. “And I can assure you, you have just enough power to accomplish the task”

Ayame held the Witch’s gaze as she turned the idea around in her head. Yuuko definitely knew a good deal about her powers; and she had no reason to lie at the moment… not one Ayame could think of anyway.

“Okay” Ayame finally said, “I think I can give it a shot”

“That’s settled then” Yuuko said, “The mage from Celes can guide you through the process. If it doesn’t go against his rules, that is” she added in her signature sly manner.

“That would be no problem” Fai smiled, “Helping from the side lines won’t require any magic, so it doesn’t go against any of my principles”

‘ _He has a very complicated set of rules_ ’ Ayame thought.

“I will be taking my leave now” Yuuko then turned to Kurogane with a smirk and said, “And Kurogane, if you dare bully Mokona…” She trailed off, laughing evilly.

“WHAT IS SUPPOSED TO BE THE MEANING OF THAT!?” Kurogane roared as the connection flickered and died.

**XXX**

Ayame definitely liked the clothes in this world more than the ones she got in Hanshin. Sakura and Syaoran had got her a white, knee length, long-sleeved tunic with matching pants. The tunic had an attached lavender vest and the outfit was completed with a purple sash. She threw a few test kicks and punches and she was completely satisfied – the clothes fit her well and did not hinder her movements at all.

“Are you dressed, Nee-chan?” Sakura poked her head in through the door of the room.

“Yeah, come on in” Ayame said.

Sakura walked up to her and held out a black ribbon, saying, “Chunhyang just gave me this. Nee-chan could tie up your hair”

“Perfect!” Ayame tied up her long hair into a high ponytail, letting a few strands frame her fair face.

“Do your clothes fit you fine?” Sakura asked.

“They’re great!” Ayame said, “Who picked them?”

“It was Syaoran-kun” Sakura answered, “He specifically looked for an outfit with pants. He said you didn’t like skirts”

“Clever boy” Ayame laughed, “I’m a little surprised that he remembered”

“Oh…”

Ayame turned around to find her sister twisting her fingers again, staring at the floor. Her eyes were misted with a thin film of tears which threatened to leak out any moment.

“Sakura? What’s wrong?”

“No… it’s just that… Syaoran-kun knew something like that about Nee-chan… and I… being your younger sister… didn’t…” Sakura’s soft voice trembled.

Sadness welled up in Ayame’s heart as one solitary tear made its way down Sakura’s cheek. For the millionth time since all the madness began, Ayame cursed whoever did this to her little sister.

‘ _But now is not the time for that_ ’ she told herself, crouching down a little so that her face was on level with Sakura’s.

“Sakura… hey, look at me” When the girl didn’t respond, Ayame placed one finger under her chin and lifted her face till lilac met emerald. “None of this is your fault”

“I know” More tears began to stream down Sakura’s face now, “I know it’s not my fault. But I don’t like not remembering things about you”

“You’ve got only two feathers back, Sakura” Ayame brushed off a few stray strands of caramel hair before cradling Sakura’s face in her palms, “And the more feathers we retrieve, the more you will remember. It’s only a matter of time” She then added with a playful smile, “Maybe, when we get the feather the Ryanban has, you will remember that your Nee-chan hates to see you cry”

Sakura finally cracked a small smile at that.

“Be brave and just a little patient. Everything will work out. Okay?”

“Okay” Sakura said, wiping her face clean with the back of her hand, “Please be careful today, Nee-chan”

“I’m always careful” Ayame replied with a wink.

**XXX**

“It’s alright if we go together” Fai said, glancing back at the house as he, along with Kurogane, Ayame, and Syaoran made their way to the Ryanban’s castle, “Aya-chan and Syaoran-kun were too hard on her”

“I know we were” Ayame sighed.

“You two didn’t want to trouble her anymore, right?” Fai continued.

“It’s not just that, she wanted to come with us not just to help the people of this town, but also for the sake of revenge” Ayame said, remembering Chunhyang’s angry tears, “She is too young to get involved in things like that”

“You might have a point there…” Fai trailed off. Syaoran, who was walking a few paces ahead, simply nodded his agreement.

“All that doesn’t matter if we defeat the Ryanban” Kurogane grinned, “If we don’t, we won’t be able to look that girl in the eye, now would we?”

“Look how excited Kuro-sama is for a fight!” Fai quipped.

“Why can’t you just call me by my proper name!?” Kurogane growled.

Ayame quickened her pace and fell into step with Syaoran, leaving Fai and Mokona to tease Kurogane.

“Sakura tells me I have you to thank for my clothes” Ayame said.

“I remembered Ayame-san’s preferences from before, when you accompanied me and Dad in some of our travels”

“Yeah, I remember those times, running around to find answers to questions and ending up with just more questions…” She then added thoughtfully, “Talking about questions… don’t you have any for me, Syaoran?”

A crease formed between Syaoran’s brows as he met Ayame’s gaze, “I don’t understand, Ayame-san”

“You don’t want to ask about my magic?” Ayame clarified.

She had been thinking about how to explain the situation to Syaoran ever since the conversation with the Dimensional Witch. Of course, she was under no obligation to completely explain herself, but she didn’t want Syaoran to feel like she didn’t trust him, nor did she want to keep things from him. Even though they had travelling companions, the only person she truly relied on was Syaoran, and she didn’t want any misunderstandings to crop up.

“The only reason I didn’t tell you about it was because there is so much I don’t understand myself” she explained, “I wanted to figure it out myself first”

“You don’t have to explain it to me, Ayame-san” Syaoran said, the frown on his face easing into a smile, “I was a little surprised at first, but I knew you had a good reason to keep it from me. You can tell me when you feel it’s right”

“You didn’t feel… I dunno… like I didn’t trust you?” Ayame asked.

“Of course not!” Syaoran answered, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Ayame laughed indulgently at Syaoran’s response. “You never fail to amaze me, Syaoran”

Of course he didn’t feel that way, she had been worrying for no reason.

After a few more minutes of walking, the tall, brick walls of the Ryanban’s castle began looming in the distance. By the time the little group crossed the bridge over the moat surrounding the castle and stood right outside its gates, the Koryo sky was coloured in brilliant shades of orange and red as the sun settled below the horizon, bathing the world in a pinkish-golden glow.

“So what do we do from here?” Fai asked.

“It is very suspicious that there are no guards out here” Ayame said, looking around, “The Ryanban, with his powers, should have seen us coming”

“That bastard probably thinks we are just small fry” Kurogane said, scowling.

“In any case, we should take a look around the perimeter of the castle, see if he has any people waiting to ambush us” Ayame said.

“He could even ambush us when we walk into the castle” Kurogane pointed out.

“That is entirely possible. But at least in that situation we won’t have anyone blocking the exit if we need to retreat and regroup” Ayame explained.

“Wah~! Aya-chan is the beauty with brains” Fai lilted.

Ayame swallowed her irritation at Fai’s comment and continued, “We should split into two groups. That way we can cover more ground quickly. If I remember the drawings of the castle I saw in Chunhyang’s house correctly, there will be another entrance exactly opposite to this one” – she pointed at the gate in front of them – “We’ll meet there. Also, Fai-san and I should probably be in different groups. Each of us can assess the magic around the castle. It’ll be easier to break the spell if we know exactly how much power it holds”

Ayame then remembered Fai’s set of rules about magic and asked, “That’s okay with you, Fai-san?”

“Absolutely!” Fai beamed. He then took hold of Syaoran’s shoulders and said, “I’m tired of being around Kuro-gloomy, so me and Syaoran-kun will be one team. See you two on the other side”

Before anyone could say another word, Fai gave Kurogane and Ayame an over enthusiastic wave and dragged away a confused Syaoran.

“Was it just me… or was Fai-san doing his best not to be paired with you?” Ayame asked as Fai and Syaoran reached the curve of the walls and disappeared.

“Probably” Kurogane grunted, “We should get going too”

Kurogane and Ayame covered ground swiftly in silence; the ninja was on the lookout for possible guards while Ayame skimmed the tips of her fingers on the brick walls, checking the power of the enchantments weaved into the castle. When she concentrated just a little, she could feel the thrum of power in the walls. The magic was firmly set and strong. By the time they were half way through, Ayame began to worry. Would her magic be enough to break this spell? Maybe they should have taken something from Yuuko as a back-up plan.

“You look worried”

Ayame snapped her head around to see Kurogane frowning at her.

“What do you mean?”

“I meant exactly what I said” Kurogane answered, “You look worried”

“Well… the spell is quite powerful… I’m not entirely sure I will be able to do it” Ayame replied with a huff.

“But nothing is going to stop you from trying, is there?”

“Nothing at all”

“Then, don’t waste your time worrying about it” Kurogane said, “Worrying will get you nowhere”

Ayame had to admit, the ninja had a point. Fretting about the situation would get her nowhere. She needed to remain focused.

“However” Kurogane continued, “It doesn’t mean that you push yourself too hard, like you did in Hanshin”

Ayame stopped suddenly, blinking at the man.

“You thought I didn’t notice?” Kurogane smirked.

“Well…” Ayame trailed off.

“Just like worrying won’t serve any purpose, taxing yourself like that won’t do either. You’ll only end up getting in everyone’s way, and make those kids more anxious than they already are” he then began walking.

Ayame played Kurogane’s words over and over again in her head as she followed the man. What he said struck a chord inside her. She was so focused on doing her part that she hadn’t stopped to think how it would affect her and in extension, Syaoran and Sakura. Now she saw how foolish that was. Ayame realised that if something were to happen to her, the children would be lost. She decided to take Kurogane’s advice and take better care of herself.

And then, there was one more thing. Even though Kurogane’s baritone voice had been flat when he gave her a piece of his mind, it was definitely covered with a small hint of concern. The ninja was probably worried too. But that didn’t surprise her much; she did have the same face as someone who was important to him afterall.

‘ _He is quite a wise and kind soul beneath all the snarls and growls_ ’ she thought to herself, smiling.

“What are you smiling for now?”

‘ _Add highly observant to that list too_ ’

“Nothing at all” Ayame said with a wink.

As expected, Kurogane scowled in response.

A minute or so later, they cleared the curvature of the castle walls to find Fai and Syaoran waiting for them in front of the other gate.

“You guys didn’t run into any trouble, I presume?” Ayame asked, quickly scanning their clothes for any signs of a fight.

“It was all clear” Fai replied.

“That guy probably thinks we are not a threat at all!” Kurogane growled, “I’ll fix that soon enough”

Before anyone could utter a word of protest, Kurogane stomped off towards the massive wooden door and placed both his hands on them firmly.

“I don’t think you should do that” Fai said, but the words fell on deaf ears.

Kurogane continued to push with all his might. After a couple of seconds, the doors shuddered slightly and began to slowly open inwards with a resounding creak. A brilliant, blinding light spilled out of the crack, along with wisps of what looked like fog. With one final push, the doors slowly yawned open, spilling out more fog and light.

When the fog cleared and Ayame’s eyes finally adjusted to the light, she saw an entire world nestled inside the doors of the castle. She saw the houses, the green fields, the roads, the market place, and even a small stream running through the middle of the town, complete with a bridge. But that wasn’t the unnerving part – it was the fact that she was looking _up_ at the town. It wasn’t fog spilling out of the doors, it was the clouds in the bright blue sky of the world inside the castle doors.

“What the hell?” Kurogane muttered as Mokona, who was perched on Fai’s head, sang, “We are up in the sky!”

“Now I understand why the Ryanban doesn’t have guards around here” Ayame said. She then turned to Fai, “There were enchantments on the other side as well, right?”

“Yup” Fai replied, “And I would say that the power is evenly distributed around the castle”

‘ _Twice the amount of power I felt on my end then…_ ’ Ayame thought.

Fai seemed to read her mind. “That’s a lot of power, I know. But if you are smart about it, it takes far less energy to break a shield than to maintain it” he then gave her a reassuring smile and continued, “I’m sure you’ll do fine. Besides, you have three very capable young men watching your back”

Syaoran gave Ayame a curt nod. Kurogane simply grunted.

Ayame took a deep breath and pushed her doubts and worries aside. Now was the time to act.

“So what do I do first?”

“First, you need to find the boundary of the spell” Fai said, “And then establish a point of contact”

Ayame willed her magic to gather at her palms. Almost immediately, she felt her hands tingle as magic pooled into them. She extended her arms in front of her and began walking towards the door. Just when she felt she was about to walk into the sky on the other side, her hands met an invisible wall. She could feel the Ryanban’s magic pushing back at her, not letting her move forward.

“Okay, Aya-chan. Now comes the difficult part” Fai said, “You need to close your eyes and concentrate. Block out everything and everyone. Focus only on the castle and the spell surrounding it”

It took Ayame a minute or so, but she did it. One by one, she blocked out the warmth of the setting sun on her back, the rustling of the trees, the calls of the birds as they made their way back to the nests and the distant shrieks of bats waking up from their slumber. The most difficult part had been blocking the presence of Syaoran, Kurogane, and Mokona behind her, as her training fought against it. The only person she didn’t cut out was Fai.

As she focused on the pressure against the palm of her hands, her mind’s eye could see every detail of the castle in front of her. And she also saw the shield protecting the castle – it was like a dome, covering the entire complex.

“You should be able to see the spell covering the castle now” she heard Fai say. When she nodded, he continued, “Let your magic flow over the shield. Analyse every inch of it”

Ayame gave a free reign to the magic pooled in her hands. In her mind, she saw a soft, lavender mist washing over the dome. The areas covered in the mist lit up and she could see the construction of the shield; hexagonal blocks of energy packed together closely, like a honeycomb.

“Try and see building blocks of the…” Fai was saying, but before he could finish, she said, “I can see it”

Since Fai was the only living thing she felt around her, Ayame could almost taste his surprise. But before she could comment on it, the mage said, “There should be certain blocks lit up more brightly than the others. These points are the…”

“Lynchpins of the shield. If I break anyone of them, the spell will collapse” she completed.

Another surprised silence followed, her own astonishment mixing in this time. The words had just spilled out of her mouth and she had no idea how. But she knew that she was right.

And that did nothing to ease the confusion in her head. The sudden emotion almost disrupted her concentration when she felt a cool hand squeeze her shoulder gently.

“I can sense your confusion, Aya-chan” Fai whispered, “And we can talk about this later. Now, you need to focus on what you are doing right now. If your concentration breaks, you might not be able to try again today”

He was right. Ayame had already invested too much to pull back now.

She focused on the castle again. It took her less than five seconds to find one of the lynchpins – a brightly shining hexagonal block some four feet above the door in front of her. Ayame gathered her spread out magic and directed it at the spot. Her magic slammed into the block, but it just rattled softly and stayed put.

‘ _I need to send more of my magic’_

Ayame felt herself drain as more and more magic poured out of her. Finally, the block began to rattle and shake violently, sparks flying everywhere. Ayame thought she heard a cry of alarm, then she heard Fai shushing the person whom it belonged to, probably Kurogane. She then heard him say, “Just a little more power is all you need, stay focused”

Ayame could feel beads of sweat forming on her brow as she poured out more and more magic. Small cracks began to appear on the block. On seeing this, Ayame gathered her strength and focused it on one single blow. When she heard a sharp, echoing crackle, her eyes snapped open. All the sensation she had blocked out returned to her at once, making her shiver slightly.

A massive crack had appeared on the spot where the cornerstone of the shield was. As Ayame watched, the crack began to radiate outward, slowly at first, then faster and faster. The chink of breaking glass sounded everywhere.

Fai reached out and grabbed Ayame’s wrist. “We should move away” he said, pulling her with him.

They all moved a safe distance away and watched the cracks encompass the whole castle. Then, with one deafening crash, the dome around the castle vanished. The landscape on the other side of the door disappeared as well, revealing a long, narrow, stone corridor.

“Wow… that was something” Ayame said, slightly out of breath.

“You did well, Aya-chan” Fai beamed, letting go of her hand.

“Couldn’t have done it without your help, Fai-san” Ayame smiled.

“But, Ayame-san, you don’t look well” Syaoran said, his brow creasing with worry.

Ayame took a deep breath to steady her breathing and said, “I’m just a little tired, Syaoran. I should be fine in a few moments” – she threw a quick glance at Kurogane – “I’m not completely spent, we have more work to do afterall”

She thought she saw the faintest traces of a smile on the ninja’s face before he said, “Let’s get moving then, yeah?”

Ayame nodded.

“Let’s go” Syaoran said, walking into the corridor, with the others right on his heels.


	9. Ryonfi's Strongest Demon

“Is this an illusion?” Kurogane asked, looking around at their transformed surroundings.

Ayame was doing the same. She and the others were standing on one stone pillar each. Many more similar ones rose out of the lake below them. The waters of the lake had a pinkish hue, same as the spheres which floated all around them. Even the mist seemed to be tinted with the same colour. The woman, she called herself Kiishimu Ayame recalled, stood inside a patio constructed in the middle of the lake.

“I don’t think so” Ayame could feel magic all around her. It was not the same as the Ryanban’s magic, but no less dangerous. “Whatever you’re seeing around you has been sculpted by her powers”

“You’re right, pretty child” Kiishimu said, the edges of her mouth crawling up her porcelain cheeks in an uncomfortable looking smile, “It’s my secret art. And it is not just beautiful to look at”

Kiishimu flicked one slender, long nailed finger. A floating sphere near Syaoran shivered to life and zoomed towards the boy. Syaoran had just enough time to cross his arms in front of his face. Ayame expected the pinkish orb to bounce away on impact. However, it broke open with a splash the moment it hit is arm. Just when she thought everything was okay, steam began to rise out of Syaoran’s water soaked sleeve and a part of it melted and fell off.

“It… melted…?” Syaoran said, staring at his hand.

“The damage my secret art causes is very real” Kiishimu’s smile just got wider.

“So if we get badly hurt…?” Fai asked. The mage was still smiling, but the cheerfulness was gone, replaced by a slight edge to his voice.

“You die” Kiishimu raised her arms above her head. In response, all the spheres around them began to attack. The next minute was a blur to Ayame as she dodged the orbs of acid; jumping from one pillar to another, missing several by a hair’s breadth.

Ayame landed on a particularly large pillar and caught her breadth. That’s when she saw Syaoran lose his footing and plummet straight down into the lake… the lake whose colour was the same as the attacking globes. Instinct took over immediately. Ayame directed her little remaining magic and manipulated the air around Syaoran. The boy gasped as small currents began whirling around him, first cushioning his fall, and then lifting him and depositing him safely on a nearby pillar.

Ayame doubled over, her hands on her knees, chest lurching with heavy breaths.

“Ayame-san!?” Syaoran called out.

“I’m okay, I’m okay” she yelled back, straightening up and wiping the sweat off her forehead.

Fai landed beside her and eyed her reproachfully. “You didn’t have to do that”

“I had to” Ayame replied, “I have a feeling that the waters of the lake and the spheres are the same”

“So you’re saying that if we fall into the lake, we’ll melt” Ayame heard Kurogane say from somewhere behind her.

“We can’t keep dodging like this forever… we need to find a way to defend ourselves” Ayame said. Using magic was not an option anymore. She could already feel the muscles in her stomach clench because of exhaustion. If she wanted to survive this, she was going to have to be very careful.

“I might have an idea…” Fai muttered. Then, without explaining himself, he jumped away, landing nimbly on top of a lamppost.

“Woohoo! Kuro-min!” Fai called, “Break this”

Kurogane, who was on a pillar right next to the lamppost, looked up at the grinning mage and growled, “Why should I?”

“We can’t keep going unarmed, you know” Fai said.

“Next time, do it yourself!” Kurogane yelled, delivering one sharp punch. The lamppost snapped and broke into pieces. Kurogane quickly grabbed a usable portion. Fai grabbed one for himself and kicked another one towards Ayame. Ayame caught the six foot long wooden rod.

“This would do very nicely” she said, swatting away a few droplets which were heading towards her.

They all managed to keep themselves from getting seriously injured, but Ayame had a feeling it was only a matter of time. She had relocated herself near Syaoran, since the boy had no means to protect himself from the barrage of acid droplets.

“I can’t help but feel she is toying with us” Ayame said.

“But how do we get out of here?” Syaoran asked, ducking as Ayame thwacked another acid orb.

“I think Syaoran-kun and Mokona should get out of here first” Fai said.

“I’m listening” Ayame said while Syaoran protested, “But you and Kurogane-san won’t last like this!”

“We can manage around here” Fai replied, “Nothing can be achieved with all of us trapped here”

“He’s right, Syaoran” Ayame said, “You and Mokona go on ahead, we’ll take care of this situation here and join you in no time”

“But Ayame-san, I can’t just leave you here!”

“Syaoran, look” Ayame fixed the boy with a stern gaze, “There are more important things that need to be done here. I would like to come with you as well, but it’ll be easier for just one person to escape from here. Don’t worry about me, I’m a little tired, yes. But my strength is coming back with every passing moment, so I will be fine”

Fai, who had relocated himself next to Kurogane, patted the ninja’s back and said, “Yeah there is nothing to worry about. Kuro-pii will take care of things for sure”

“Why me again?” Kurogane snapped.

Syaoran looked at Kurogane and Fai for a moment, then back at Ayame, who nodded reassuringly.

“Okay” he finally said.

Fai pointed at the ceiling of the space they were standing in and said, “The magic is weaker up there. Syaoran-kun should be able to kick his way out”

At this, Mokona suddenly popped her head out of Syaoran’s robe and said, “It’s so high! Can you get up there, Syaoran?”

“I wonder what you children are talking about…” A smooth voice drawled. Kiishimu was standing in her patio, her jet black eyes watching them… fondly!? No, that can’t be right.

“Sorry” Fai called back, grinning, “We’ll be done soon”

“Don’t let me get bored, little children” Kiishimu said, her eyes glinting dangerously now. But Ayame couldn’t get the feeling that she was missing something out of her head.

“Answering your question, Mokona” Ayame said, pushing her thoughts aside for a moment, “I’m sure Kuro-sama can propel him up”

Kurogane clicked his tongue in annoyance, but held out his pole anyway. Syaoran jumped and landed on the pole with a dull thud. Kurogane adjusted his grip for a moment, then swung the pole forward with full strength, sending Syaoran flying up. A few agonising seconds later. Ayame heard the crash as Syaoran kicked a hole far above them and disappeared into it.

“You two are so cool! Hyuu~!” Fai cheered.

“I told you to stop making whistling sounds with your mouth!” Kurogane yelled.

Ayame jumped over to where they were standing to get a better look at the gap Syaoran created. Even on straining her eyes, all she could see was black.

“Please stay safe, Syaoran” Ayame whispered.

“I’m sure he will be fine, Aya-chan” Fai said, “But can’t the same about you”

“Meaning?” Ayame asked.

“You lied to Syaoran, didn’t you?” Fai said, “When you told him that your strength was coming back”

Of course she lied. The other option was to tell him how every swing of the pole sapped her energy, how her muscles ached with every jump. The magic she had used up had created a vacuum inside her and all her strength was being sucked into it. And it will keep getting sucked in till she rested off the exhaustion… and that was not going to happen any time soon.

“He has enough to worry about” Ayame said, her tone flat, “And I still have enough in me to fight. I didn’t see why I had to give him the smaller details”

“Why doesn’t that surprise me?” Fai said, shaking his head, while Kurogane muttered something incoherent under his breath, his tone disapproving.

“You children are very clever” Kiishimu said, wistfully staring at the hole above them, “Well, one escape can’t be helped”

There it was again, that fond manner. However, it disappeared as she flicked her wrist and said, “I’ll just have to teach the remaining children a lesson”

The droplets above them splashed open, sending a shower of acid over them. Ayame hissed as the water smarted and stung her exposed skin. Steam arose from her clothes and edges of her sleeves, sash, and tunic began to melt away. Ayame could feel the ribbon holding her hair together weaken as it got soaked with the acid. She took a deep breath, but soon realised it was a mistake when she spat out the few drops that took the opportunity to sneak into her mouth. The bitter taste lingered and the water left burns on her tongue, as if she had drunk something too hot.

“Looks like things got kicked up a notch” Fai smiled. Through the vapours rising from his clothes, Ayame saw the glint of danger in the sapphire blue of his eyes.

Kurogane smirked at the comment.

“You can’t escape the way the little one did” Kiishimu said, snapping her fingers.

And that’s when Ayame saw it – the glinting black jewel on her headdress.

One particularly large ball of acid zoomed towards them. Fai moved to swat it away, but the sphere writhed and flattened out, avoiding the pole. The now flat wall of acid floated in front of them for a brief second before the ends began to close in, cornering them.

Kurogane immediately tensed himself, preparing to jump away. Ayame did the same. But Fai was rooted to his spot, his wide eyes fixed on the wall closing in on him. Ayame glanced at Kurogane. A quick understanding passed between them. She firmly held onto her pole with her left hand and looped her right arm around Fai’s waist. A heartbeat later, she felt Kurogane’s pole slam into her back. Currents of sharp pain coursed through her body as the force of the hit propelled her forward. She tightened her grip around Fai as they zoomed away. But the ninja hadn’t been quick enough, Ayame felt fire erupt on her outstretched left arm as a thick sheet of acid passed right through it.

By the time she managed to land herself and Fai safely on a nearby pillar, she couldn’t decide what hurt more – the rigid wall of pain in her back or the flaring, piercing pain in her arm. She held onto Fai for support and panted, blinking to get rid of the bright yellow spots in her vision. All the pain and exhaustion was making her light headed.

“You alright there?” Kurogane called out. Ayame could hear the concern hidden in the baritone of his voice.

Ayame raised her left arm and replied, “Yeah, yeah. I’m alive and kicking… Oh!” she added as her entire left sleeve melted and fell down, revealing fair, flushed skin covered with angry red spots. Ayame hissed softly as the cool air hit her exposed arm, making it sting. The acid burns definitely hurt more, she decided.

“Aya-chan…” Fai whispered, staring at Ayame’s arm, his eyes wide with shock.

“Hey, it’s alright” Ayame said hastily. She was a little taken aback by the horrified look on his face. It was so different from the aloof, goofy smile he usually walked around with.

“It looks worse than it feels, really, it’s okay” she insisted.

Fai’s face finally eased into a smile, albeit a sad one, “You should be more careful”

“You’re the one to talk” Ayame smirked. At that moment, the black ribbon in her hair decided it couldn’t hold on any longer and snapped, spilling her jet black hair loose over her shoulders. “We better find a way to end this before the rest of my clothes melt away and I lose my dignity in front of two men I barely know”

Fai finally laughed at that.

“This is starting to become a pain” Kurogane joined her and Fai, “Not only are the spheres fast, now they can morph too” He then looked at the burns on her arm and added, “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yes” Ayame sighed, “We have bigger problems right now, don’t you think?”

“You children are very clever, and very brave” Kiishimu said, “The only person who was able to face me like this was a Shinban from Ryonfi”

“That would be Chunhyang’s mother, right?” Fai asked.

Kiishimu smiled softly as she said, “Yes, she said she had a girl with that name” Then a distressed frown darkened her face as she continued, “What this country truly needs are people like that Shinban and you children, not the Ryanban and his stupid son”

Ayame caught the black jewel on her headdress glint as Kiishimu’s face became impassive again. “I regret us parting, little children. But it’s time to say farewell”

The words had barely left Kiishimu’s mouth when Ayame heard the thundering rush of water. The contents of the lake gathered together and rose upwards, creating a towering wave of frothing, bubbling acid, threatening to melt away their lives in a split second. Ayame decided that this was the right moment to share her observation.

“She is being controlled” Ayame said.

Fai and Kurogane both gave her quizzical looks.

“What makes you say that?” Kurogane asked.

“It’s just, the way she talks to us. There are moments when she speaks to us fondly. And then there are times when she suddenly becomes completely emotionless, right before…”

“She attacks” Fai finished, his eyebrows furrowed thoughtfully.

“So you are basing this on a flimsy observation?” Kurogane did not bother to keep the scepticism out of his voice.

“It’s not just that, there’s also that black jewel on her headdress” Ayame explained, “It glints every time she is about to attack. I think the Ryanban is using that to control her”

“So maybe, if we get close enough to break it, we can stop this” Fai said.

“It can’t be that easy!” Kurogane said.

“Do you have a better idea?” Ayame snapped.

“She is right, Kuro-chii” Fai said, his signature smile back on his face, “If we just stand doing nothing, we’ll die. And I don’t want to do that”

“You don’t want to die, and still you won’t use your magic to get yourself out of this situation?” Kurogane asked.

Fai’s smile did not waver one bit as he replied, “Yup”

The answer didn’t surprise Ayame. If he wanted to, he had had plenty of opportunities to use his magic.

“It doesn’t matter to me” Kurogane said, “I’m not gonna die here either. I need to go back to my country. That pork bun won’t leave till we find the little princess’ feather. So we need to quickly find it and get the hell outta here”

Ayame couldn’t help but smile at Kurogane’s reply.

“I want to move on quickly too” Fai said.

“Why is that?” Ayame asked.

The mage’s smile dropped as he answered, “If the person sleeping back in my world awakens, I might get caught. That’s why I need to run and pass through as many worlds as possible”

For a while, no one said anything as Ayame and Kurogane waited for Fai to further explain himself. But the mage showed no signs of doing so.

“We break the jewel and we’re good, right?” Kurogane asked.

“Exactly” Ayame said, “Let’s go”

Kurogane reached and firmly grasped her shoulder, pulling her back. “You’re staying put, Princess”

“Kuro-muro is right” Fai said. Guilt flashed through his eyes as he added, “You’ve done enough for today”

Ayame sighed. This was an argument she was not going to win.

“Fine. I’ll stay. But you two be careful”

“I have an idea” Kurogane said. He pulled Fai away and muttered something. Ayame couldn’t hear a single word he was saying. The blonde listened intently, a mischievous smile creeping over his face.

“That will work” Fai nodded.

“What are you two on about?” Ayame huffed, curiosity eating away at her.

“Just watch, Aya-chan” He have Ayame a wink, and jumped away, heading straight for Kiishimu.

The leap was strong, but it still was not nearly enough to reach the woman. Ayame was about to voice her concern, when Kurogane jumped off too. As the ninja almost came to level with the mage, he placed one firm hand on the blonde’s shoulder and pushed himself forward. That gave him just enough momentum to close the little distance between him and the patio.

Kiishimu was surprised by Kurogane’s sudden appearance, but she reacted soon enough. Just as the man landed in front of her, Kiishimu extended her dainty, clawed hand and thrust her sharp nails into Kurogane’s chest.

“KUROGANE!” Ayame’s heart pounded as she feared the worst. She shouldn’t have let him execute some crazy plan all by himself! If something were to happen because he was helping her get Sakura’s feather back…

“He’s alright, Aya-chan” Fai called out, “Look closely”

Ayame took deep breaths to calm herself and looked closely. Kiishimu’s nails were buried a good inch into Kurogane… but there was no blood!

“You are quite the schemer” Kiishimu smirked. She pulled out her hand with one fluid movement. Kurogane’s clothes ripped as the object to which Kiishimu’s nails were embedded into was pulled out – the thick magazine the ninja had purchased from Hanshin.

Kurogane grinned, obviously pleased with himself and rightly so. That was quite clever.

“I hate the rain. So, stop it. Right now!”

Kurogane raised his pole and hit Kiishimu hard on the head. The black jewel on her headdress shattered. Ayame felt the world tilt around her. The lake, pillars, the gigantic wave of acid all phased out and they were back where they began – the small-ish, square, high-ceilinged room.

Ayame breathed out a sigh of relief. It was finally over. And she had made it out fine… well almost fine. Her joints and muscles felt sore, her back still throbbed and her left arm felt tender and raw, pain spiking at random points at random intervals. Not to forget the state of her clothes – half the sleeve of her right arm had also melted away, her knee length tunic had reduced to mid-thigh and there were multiple rips all over her pants. One glance at Fai and Kurogane told her that they were probably feeling the way she was. But, they had made it out alive. That’s what counts, right?

“You stay still” Kurogane threatened Kiishimu, “If you make another strange move…”

But Kiishimu didn’t listen. The woman straightened herself up smoothly and placed one, swift kiss on Kurogane’s cheek. Ayame fought the urge to burst out laughing as the ninja’s face turned three different shades of red.

“What the hell did you do now?” he asked through gritted teeth.

“That was my thanks” Kiishimu said softly, one long finger tracing Kurogane’s jaw.

Kurogane shrugged out of her embrace and asked, “For what?”

“I was being controlled by the Ryanban with the spell on the stone you just broke” Kiishimu replied.

“You were right, Aya-chan!” Fai lilted. He waved his arms dramatically and made his way over to her for a hug. Ayame shuffled aside at the last moment, sending Fai tumbling into the ground.

“You’re mean, Aya-chan!” Fai bawled. Ayame smirked.

Kiishimu’s pitch black eyes regarded Ayame curiously. “You are a very clever child” She then addressed all three of them, “I’m sorry for blocking your way. You wanted to know where the Ryanban is, right? That bastard and his son are on the top floor of this castle. I’m guessing the youngest child has already arrived there”

Ayame chewed her lips as she thought about Syaoran. How was he doing? Was he alright?

“I advise you to keep your guard up” Kiishimu continued, “They will definitely resort to some dirty, cowardly trick… those misers”

“We will get going then” Ayame bowed down, “Thank you for letting us know”

But as she turned and was about to follow Kurogane and Fai, who were almost at the door, Kiishimu said, “One moment please”

Ayame wanted to leave as soon as she could. However, ignoring Kiishimu like that would be rude. She seemed to be on their side, for now, but there was no way of truly knowing. Ayame decided not to take a chance. Reluctantly, she stopped. “Is something the matter?” she asked.

“You helped me regain my freedom” Kiishimu said, “And I want to return the favour. I do not like owing someone”

“There is no need for that really” Ayame assured her, “You gave us the Ryanban’s location, that’s a fair trade”

Kiishimu ignored her words. She reached out and wrapped a cold hand around Ayame’s wrist and pulled her forward. Ayame could feel the ornaments of Kiishimu’s headdress against her neck as the woman breathed into her ear, “The child of the universe will wake from its slumber”

Every single thought – worry about Syaoran, anxiety about getting the feather – was wiped clean from Ayame’s mind. She even forgot about the pain and exhaustion as she pulled back a little to stare at Kiishimu.

“Aya-chan?” Fai asked.

Syaoran was up there, he could be injured, in desperate need for help. The man who held a piece of her younger sister’s soul was just a little away. But… but… she had to know! Ayame had pieced together the fact that she was on this journey because of that prophecy. So far, she had been walking blind because there was no other option. Now… she could finally get some answers! But she would have to leave Syaoran alone just for a while longer. Was it worth it, though?

“Did that woman do something to you?” Kurogane growled.

“No” Ayame heard herself, “I’m completely fine”

She took a deep breath and stepped back. She had made up her mind

“You two go ahead. I will join you in a bit. Kiishimu and I need to have a chat”

Even though it killed Ayame to do this, she knew it was the smarter option in the long run. The more knowledge she had, the better she will be able to complete this quest of hers. Somehow, her journey was linked to this ‘Child of the Universe’. She had to know who, or what, it is. Ayame decided to trust Syaoran, trust the boy’s determination, trust the fact that he will be alright.

“I don’t think I understood you, Princess” Kurogane narrowed his eyes, “You want us to leave you alone with the woman who was trying to kill us moments ago”

Kiishimu clicked her tongue disapprovingly.

“I know how this sounds” Ayame said, “But I have to do this. It’s important to me”

“And what is this important thing that you have to do?” Kurogane pressed further.

“It’s personal in nature” was all Ayame gave in reply.

Kurogane opened his mouth to protest further but Ayame spoke first, “I know I sound absurd. But this is very important” She paused for moment to decide what to say next. At this point, telling the truth seemed to be like the only option. Well part of it anyway. “When this journey began, for me it began with too many questions. And since then, the pile of questions has just been increasing. Now, finally, I have an opportunity to get some answers. So please, let me do this”

“We don’t have to leave you alone for that, Aya-chan” Fai pointed out.

“I know” Ayame replied, “But, it’s not something I wish to share yet. And it has got nothing to do with any of you”

There was a moment of silence as the three of them stared at each other – Kurogane suspiciously, Ayame imploringly and Fai curiously.

“If that’s what you want, Aya-chan” Fai said. “Let’s let her do her thing, Kuro-tan” he added, patting the ninja’s shoulder.

Kurogane glared at Ayame for a couple of seconds more before turning away, scowling.

“Kurogane-san, Fai-san, one more thing” Ayame said, her voice trembling slightly, “Please look after Syaoran till I get back”

Ayame hadn’t trusted these two men before she had walked into this castle. But their recent fight, the teamwork they showed, the way they watched each other’s back… something had changed between them. She knew the others felt it too. Kurogane and Fai had looked out for her, and she knew she could trust, at least little bit, that they would do the same for Syaoran.

“Whatever” Kurogane muttered before stomping away.

“We will, Aya-chan” Fai gave her a smile, a genuine, melancholic one, before disappearing into the corridor after Kurogane.

When the echoes of their footsteps finally died down, she turned to Kiishimu.

“How do you know about the prophecy?”

“Along with being a skilled user of the secret arts, I am also a dream seer. We dream seers always know about things like this. Prophecies have a way of affecting many dimensions at the same time, so we like to stay informed”

Ayame found the answer satisfactory. She remembered Yukito telling her something on the similar lines a few years ago. She then got to the point.

“What can you tell me about the Child of the Universe?”

“Are you sure that’s what you want?” Kiishimu said, a sly smile working its way across her face.

“What do you mean by that?” Ayame snapped.

“I will do just one favour in exchange for helping me. You decide, do you want information… or something else”

Ayame was confused now. What could this woman possibly offer that might be more valuable than information?

“I don’t think there is anything else you can offer” Ayame said primly.

“Just ask me the question, Princess Ayame” Kiishimu was practically laughing now.

Ayame was about to ask how she knew her name. But then again, if she knew about the prophecy from her dreams, it was no surprise Kiishimu knew who she was.

“Fine, humour me. What else can you give me in return for releasing you from captivity?”

“Those five locks you have on your heart, sealing away your magic and some very crucial memories, I can break the first one for you”


	10. The Choice

Ayame felt disoriented.

For three days, she had been lying on a very fluffy futon, placed in the most spacious room in Chunhyang’s house; slipping in and out of consciousness at irregular intervals. Her body burned, even her hair felt like it was on fire. Her head felt fine now, but even the smallest movement, even something insignificant like turning around in her futon, made her head throb, as if the blood in her skull wanted to be free of the vessels and run amok. Her throat was parched, but no amount of water quenched her thirst. Her stomach rumbled, but even the thought of food brought the taste of bile to her mouth. And if she did try to force something down, it came back up right away (They found out this part the hard way, when she had thrown up all the food Touya and Yukito from Hanshin had packed so carefully for her).

She sighed, staring up at the wooden beams supporting the roof. Disoriented was the word.

As for the injuries from the battle in the Ryanban’s castle, they were all healed up, thankfully. The bruises, cuts, and acid burns faded away without a trace. Her magic had taken care of that for her.

Her magic…

A cool evening breeze tickled the wind chimes as it made its way into the room, bringing Ayame back from her reverie. The patch of sky visible was flushed with the orange and red from the setting sun, much like when she had gone to the castle with the others.

As another wave of sleep rolled into her, Ayame’s mind replayed the events from three days ago for the umpteenth time.

**XXX**

“Those five locks you have on your heart, sealing away your magic and some very crucial memories, I can break the first one for you”

For the second time, Ayame’s mind was almost wiped blank… almost, when a few words Kiishimu had uttered demanded her attention.

“What do you mean sealing away my magic _and_ some very crucial memories?”

“It’s exactly as I said, Princess” Kiishimu’s voice was dripping with amusement, “The spells are not only sealing away magic, but they are also holding back memories”

Ayame’s head reeled as she processed this new information. The person who had locked away her magic was none other than her own father. So that means… the one who sealed away the memories was also him. And he wanted her to find out this bit on her own, or else he would have included this with the other information he had paid the Dimensional Witch to give her. Even when he was alive, the logic behind her fathers’ decisions eluded her. Somethings never change.

This could explain how Ayame knew how to build and break shields when she had no memory of learning how to do so. And this could also explain… explain why she couldn’t remember anything from the night of the accident which ended in her mother’s death.

For so long, Ayame thought it was post-traumatic stress that was preventing her from recalling the happenings of that night… however, this definitely made more sense. Whatever had transpired, her father didn’t want her to remember. But eleven years was a long time to live in the dark. She didn’t care what her father thought, she wanted to know the truth.

“So what is it going to be?” Kiishimu asked, “Information about the prophecy or your magic and memories?”

What was she going to do? Should she take the information that could possibly give some insight about her role in the bigger scheme of things? Or should she regain her power and throw some light on the mysteries of her past in the process?

Once she put it that way, the choice was obvious really.

“How do these enchantments work?” Ayame needed to know what she was getting into.

“Every one of those seals is holding back a certain amount of magic along with some memories” Kiishimu answered.

“So the magic and memories will be returned to me in parts with every broken spell”

“Correct”

Ayame then asked the next obvious question.

“What if I ask you to break all the five seals at once?” She didn’t want to waste her time in doing this step by step. If she could get all her power back in one go, why not take that chance?

Kiishimu chuckled indulgently.

“You are a very ambitious, little child” she said, “But I’m afraid that is not possible”

Of course, nothing was going to be easy. “Why not?” Ayame asked.

“Because your mind and your body won’t be able to handle it” Kiishimu explained, “Even though the magic never left you, your body hasn’t used it in a very long time. The sudden introduction of your powers into your veins will end up causing a lot of harm, harm which you may not recover from. The same goes for your mind. The sheer volume of the memories will overwhelm it”

The magic aspect of it she understood. But her mind being overwhelmed by the memories sealed away? Just how much had her father shielded from her?

“One more question, before I make my decision” Ayame said, “You said the five locks are placed on my heart. Why my heart?”

“That’s because your heart is the source of your magic; just like those blue eyes are the source of magic of the other child who left here a while ago”

Source of magic… that explained why she always felt her magic _flowing_ through her, like blood. And the other person Kiishimu was referring to had to be Fai. Ayame stored away that bit of information in some corner of her head. Who knows, it may be useful later.

“By all these questions, am I right in assuming that you have decided to get one of the seals removed, Princess?”

Ayame thought about it one more time. The details of the prophecy may help her understand many things… but that’s the thing, it _may_ help. On the other hand, breaking the first seal will definitely make her a little bit more powerful. She would be better equipped to protect Sakura and Syaoran. Getting her memories back was an added bonus.

The Princess made her choice.

She nodded.

“This is not going to be easy” Kiishimu said, “The pain you will feel during the process will be excruciating. If it succeeds, it will take time for your body to adjust. The adjustment can manifest in anyway, you may not wake up for days, or maybe it will be some kind of illness. Not to forget that your dreams will be plagued with bits and pieces of memories which may not make any sense for a while. Are you ready for that?”

Ayame nodded once more.

“Very well then,” Kiishimu said.

The woman held out her hand expectantly. Ayame raised her left arm and slipped her hand into Kiishimu’s. She winced as a long, sharp nail cleanly slashed her wrist open. By the time blood began to trickle out of the cut freely, a sliver of doubt needled its way into her head. Was this really a good idea, to leave herself open and vulnerable in front of the woman who was trying to kill her just a while ago, as Kurogane had put it?

Kiishimu sensed Ayame’s hesitation. She clucked her tongue and said, “If this has to work, there can be no disinclination, little one. I will ask you again, are you ready?”

Ayame took a deep breath and pushed the reservations out of her head. This was a risk she needed to take.

“Just get on with it” Ayame said.

Kiishimu gave her a curt nod, the ornaments on her headdress tinkling. She placed one finger on the bleeding cut. Ayame immediately felt a smooth, silken strand of Kiishimu’s magic enter her body through the gash. She shuddered at the intrusion. Goosebumps erupted all over Ayame’s arms and neck as the thread crawled up her left arm, reached her shoulder and then turned sharply to make its way to her heart. Slowly and steadily, it navigated her blood vessels and moved towards its target, like a worm burrowing its way through soil.

When it finally made contact with her galloping heart, Ayame was far from prepared.

One moment, she was looking at her bleeding wrist, breathing in the smell of the stagnant air mingled with Kiishimu’s sickeningly sweet perfume… and the next, brilliant lights arched in her vision, blinding her. Ayame didn’t feel her body go rigid, didn’t hear the bones of her neck crick as her head snapped back, didn’t notice the blood that welled up in her eyes and trickled down her cheeks.

The only thing she could feel was the _pain_.

Searing, piercing pain, first flared in her chest, then radiated outward, till every nerve, all the way to the tips of her fingers and toes, felt like it was melting. She wanted to scream, but no sound came out of her mouth – it was as if she had lost all control of her functions. Her arms shook and her knees knocked together no matter how hard she strained to stop them. All she could do was writhe in agony as the pain continued to rage inside her, like a sandstorm, wrecking everything in its path.

And just as suddenly as it began, it stopped.

Ayame fell heavily on all fours, wide-eyed and red-faced. Her throat made husky, choking sounds as she gasped for air. A cold sweat broke out across her body, making her tattered clothes cling to her, like a leaf to wet window. The fire that had lit her up moments ago faded quickly, replaced by a numbness; soothing yet unnerving. She blinked to get rid of the lingering spots of white in her vision and swallowed thickly to clear bitterness that coated her tongue.

A few moments later, when the sound of the blood thumping in her head somewhat subsided, Ayame pushed herself off the floor, groaning as her sore muscles protested. She wiped the blood off her face and turned to look at Kiishimu.

The woman had not moved an inch. She stood impassively, arms folded. Her jet black eyes, however, were regarding Ayame curiously.

“Your tolerance for pain is remarkable” she said, “I had expected you to faint halfway through the process”

It took all of Ayame’s self-control not to scowl at the edge of fascination covering Kiishimu’s voice. Instead, she asked, “So? Did it work?” Her voice sounded hoarse.

There was a moment of anxious silence before Kiishimu answered.

“It did”

**XXX**

“Kuro-tan, are you done chopping firewood?” Fai called as the ninja stepped into the house from the back door.

“How many times must I tell you, it’s Kurogane” he muttered, throwing an irritated glance at the mage.

That’s when he saw Fai hunched over an assortment of ointments, balms, tonics, and other medicines on the table. A bowl of water with a clean, white towel half immersed in it was placed nearby as well. He picked a small bottle containing a deep red liquid.

“Chunhyang said this could help with Aya-chan’s nausea…” Fai said thoughtfully.

“Are you not done pondering over one medicine after the other?” Kurogane asked, sitting down in his usual spot in the corner of the room.

“I’m looking at alternative possibilities” Fai answered, setting the bottle down just to pick up another one.

Kurogane let out an irritated sigh. The mage had been like that ever since Ayame had fallen sick. He had become her self-appointed caretaker, supervising everything from her medication to her diet; from making sure that the pitcher of water near her futon always stayed full to reprimanding her if she tried to move around a little too much. Anyone else would have chalked it down to worry, but Kurogane’s sharp eyes saw that there was more to it. He could see guilt mingled with Fai’s concern. Probably because Ayame had gotten herself injured while saving his hot-air balloon of a head during the fight in the castle.

Syaoran mostly let Fai have his way. He anxiously hung on every word the mage said. Kurogane had asked the boy why. The response was surprising… and mildly interesting.

“In all the time we travelled, Ayame-san has never fallen sick… as a matter fact, I don’t remember her being unwell at all. That’s why I don’t exactly know how to handle this” he had admitted sheepishly.

(Now that he thought about it, the one from back in his world never really fell ill either. But when this train of thought creeped into his head, he firmly pushed it out)

That conversation with the kid was two days ago. Now, Syaoran knew more than enough about nursing people back to health… enough to become just as fussy and persistent as Fai when Ayame tried to push off the medicines. Fai she could turn down, the boy she couldn’t. Kurogane had to admit, Syaoran’s learning curve was pretty impressive.

The younger princess, on the other hand, dreamily followed Fai and Syaoran around and clumsily tried to help when she was not too busy feeling sleepy and fainting. Quite a few times she fell asleep right next to Ayame, holding her hand so tightly that it was difficult to pry her fingers off. This was to be expected, since she didn’t have all her memories. But Sakura put everything she had into what she was doing, no matter how small of a task it was. It was hard not to find it a little endearing.

Kurogane, on his part, helped around with housework sometimes just to swat away the boredom, though he did drop a few helpful bits and pieces to the others sometimes. He was the one who had suggested using a bowl of cold water and a towel to keep Ayame’s fever under control when they got her back to the house from the castle; while Fai had immediately attacked Chunhyang’s medicine cabinet.

“This should do it” Fai said, holding out another bottle, this time containing a mustard coloured liquid, “A little bit of this before dinner should help her keep all the food down”

“What is the point of filling her up with more of that stuff when it’s clearly not working?” Kurogane said, “You and that girl have tried almost every single bottle of medication that is there in this house, and nothing has had an effect. Maybe you should just let the illness run its course”

“We won’t know till we have tried, Kuro-ne” Fai grinned, “Also, ‘that girl’ has a name. Chunhyang. It’s rude to address the person who has graciously allowed us to continue staying in her house in that manner”

“And isn’t it also rude to force the medicines on the Princess just to assuage your own guilt?”

Kurogane had never intended to broach this topic with Fai, he knew he would never get a straight answer. But he just couldn’t help it. Fai’s constant teasing was really getting on his nerves and once… just once, he wanted to get under the mage’s skin.

And he got exactly what he asked for… maybe a little more than what he asked for.

Fai’s usual cheery smile slipped off, like a mask falling away. His face was now the perfect picture of surprise and shock mingled with… fear? Kurogane was a little taken aback; this was not what he had expected. Is it possible that he actually thought that they blamed him for Ayame’s injuries?

But the moment lasted only for a few seconds. Fai slapped an inane smile back on his face quickly, with the ease of a stage actor preparing for his act.

“You think too much, Kuro-wi” He then picked the bowl of water and the towel and shoved them into Kurogane’s hands saying, “Now, why don’t you attend to our ill Warrior Princess for some time while I start preparing for dinner. Syaoran and Chunhyang should be back soon”

Fai skipped off to the kitchen without further ado, leaving behind a very surprised and irritated Kurogane. This was exactly why he disliked the mage, he hid behind his stupid smiles and teasing and name-calling; he was too complicated. Kurogane hated complicated, even if he could see right through it.

**XXX**

Kurogane silently slipped into Ayame’s room to find the Princess spread-eagled on her futon, snoring softly. ‘ _Snoring is a good sign_ ’ he thought, ‘ _She is sleeping well_ ’. He slid the doors shut carefully, set the bowl and towel near her head and sat down.

Kurogane saw that some colour had found its way into her cheeks, which was also a good sign. He brushed aside a few strands of hair from her face and placed his hand on her forehead. She was still burning with a fever, but the temperature was less than what it was three days ago, so that was an improvement as well.

He dipped the towel into the bowl, squeezed off the excess water and placed it on Ayame’s forehead, thinking about how they had found her half-conscious outside the castle. Her skin had been deathly pale, her voice barely above a whisper and Kurogane could have sworn that the blood stains on the sleeves of her clothes were not there when he and Fai had left her with Kiishimu. Later that night, when she finally came around, she didn’t offer any explanation. She only said that it was nothing to worry about and that in a few days’ time, she would be back to normal, before falling into restless sleep again.

The lack of clarification annoyed the hell out of Kurogane. He wanted to wring an answer out of her, but Ayame was so exhausted every time she woke up, he didn’t find it in himself to do it. He might not have to wait for too long though. Earlier that day, she had found enough strength to lecture Syaoran and make him promise to leave the house with Chunhyang for a while before flopping back onto the futon. She was definitely getting better.

“Mother… no… please…”

Ayame was not sleeping peacefully anymore. She rolled to her side suddenly. The wet towel on her forehead fell to the floor with a plop. Kurogane was going to let her be, maybe she was just dreaming. However, when Ayame began to whimper, a bubble of panic popped in Kurogane’s chest.

He reached out and shook her shoulder gently, saying, “Oie, wake up”

When she didn’t open her eyes, another bubble of dread filled up his entire chest. He shook her more urgently.

“Hey, wake up!”

Kurogane felt a swell of relief as Ayame’s eyelids finally snapped open and she sat up, breathing heavily. Lilac eyes shining with fear and confusion scanned the room frantically, but they stopped when they met a pair of concerned red ones.

“Are you alright?” Kurogane asked.

Ayame tore away from his gaze and took a deep breath.

“I’m fine”

“You were whimpering” Kurogane said, making a conscious effort to keep his tone flat.

Ayame met his gaze again.

“It was a nightmare” she replied.

Kurogane could sense there was more to it than a nightmare, but decides not to push it.

“How are you feeling now?”

“Much better. Three days of rest did me a lot of goo-“

Ayame’s hand flew to her mouth. Her other hand quickly grasped a tin bucket nearby and pulled it towards her. She tipped her head into the bucket and retched. Kurogane instinctively jumped to her side. He gently eased her twitching back as Ayame emptied her lunch of stew and bread. After spitting out the last of the bile, Ayame pushed the bucket away, groaning. Kurogane’s free hand poured out a glass of water, which she took from him eagerly, while his other hand continued to rub soothing circles into her back. Ayame quickly drained the glass and set it down with a small sigh.

“Do you need more?” he asked.

Ayame shook her head in response, her eyes travelling to Kurogane’s hand still on her back.

Kurogane blushed a deep red and swiftly pulled his hand away. He mentally hit himself for letting his guard down the way he just did. What was he thinking? Back in Hanshin, he had decided that he would not let his past influence the way he behaved around Ayame, but now, seeing her in that state, he just couldn’t help it.

Ayame’s brow furrowed a little as she observed Kurogane’s reaction. He could see that she was itching to say something. However, when she finally opened her mouth, she said, “I shouldn’t have mentioned that I was feeling better. I think I jinxed it”

She gave him a small smile. Kurogane understood the meaning behind it. It meant that she had noticed his reaction, that she knew what it meant, and that she was choosing to ignore it… for now. Kurogane decided to go along with her choice as well… for now.

They both just sat there, Ayame staring into her hands, lost in thought; and Kurogane keeping his eyes fixed on the towel lying on the floor. The silence they had fallen into was awkward and shifting. It made Kurogane feel queasy. When he finally reached the point where he couldn’t take it anymore, he broke the quiet.

“You didn’t pay any attention to my advice, did you?” he asked.

There was a sharp intake of breath as Ayame was shaken out of her thoughts.

“I’m sorry, what?”

“I told you to take care of yourself, to not push yourself too hard; but you went ahead and did it anyway” Kurogane said.

Ayame raised an amused eyebrow and said, “So you disapprove of my actions?”

“Of course I disapprove” Kurogane said, a lot more quickly than he would have liked.

Ayame chuckled. Kurogane scowled and turned away with a huff.

“You’re wrong you know”

Kurogane turned back to see Ayame smiling at him.

“I did pay attention to what you told me”

It was Kurogane’s turn to raise an amused eyebrow. His eyes traced the bags under Ayame’s eyes, the trembling of her fingers and he took note of her languid breathing before saying, “And that’s how you end up?”

“I had to do what I had to do” Ayame said primly. Then after a pause, she added, “I knew it would take a toll on me, but I also knew that it wouldn’t kill me; I knew I would recover. So see, I did remember what you told me outside the castle”

“You worried the kids” Kurogane said.

A fond smile worked its way across Ayame’s face.

“I really did, didn’t I? I need to apologise to them both. The same way I need to apologise to you too”

Kurogane flinched just a little.

“Why do you need to apologise to me?”

The spark of mischief in Ayame’s eyes did not match the innocence in her voice when she said, “Well, I worried you too, didn’t I?”

Kurogane’s ears felt like they were on fire. He crossed his arms and looked away pointedly, before saying, “Why the hell would I be worried? Of course I wasn’t worried”

The blush on Kurogane’s cheeks deepened as Ayame continued to shake with laughter.

“Maybe you should apologise to the mage while you’re at it” Kurogane grunted when Ayame finally stopped giggling, “He has been driving me crazy with all his talk about medicines and helping out around the house”

“You know… that’s a little odd” Ayame said, her forehead scrunching into a thoughtful frown.

The sudden change of tone piqued Kurogane’s interest.

“What is odd?”

Ayame looked startled, as if she had accidentally spoken out loud. Realising that she had to answer, she said carefully, “It’s just that… Fai-san being a fully-fledged mage and all, should know that my illness is magical in nature; not physical. My body only needs time to adjust. It’s odd that he is fretting over medicines”

A soft hum was all the response Kurogane gave while his mind replayed Fai’s behaviour from the past three days. In light of this fact, all of Fai’s worrying did seem odd. Kurogane’s previous guess was probably right.

“Guilt” he simply said.

“Guilt” Ayame repeats, not as question, but as confirmation.

Kurogane was about to respond when the door slid open and a mop of blonde hair poked into the room.

“Wah~! Our Warrior Princess is awake at last!”

Ayame huffed as Fai walked in and plopped himself down next to Kurogane.

“How art thou feeling, oh Warrior Princess?” Fai asked dramatically.

“Stop calling me that, please” said Ayame, “And I am feeling a lot better”

Fai hopped to his knees and took Ayame’s left hand in his own before declaring, “It gladdens my heart to heareth that, oh Warrior Princess”

Ayame pulled out her hand and smacked him on his head, saying, “I told you to stop that!”

While Fai rubbed the victimised spot on his head and said something about Ayame not being a sport, Kurogane could barely contain his irritation. He had seen through Fai’s charade. All that drama just now was done not only to annoy Ayame, but also to check if all the acid burns on her left arm were gone; Kurogane did not miss the sapphire eyes quickly scanning Ayame’s arm. If he wanted to know, why couldn’t the mage simply ask; like normal people? Why did he have to hide behind such frivolous nonsense?

“Kuro-wu loves the nicknames I give him!”

The sudden mention of his name… more like the sudden mutilation of his name, pulled Kurogane back into the conversation. The ninja was about to make his position on the nicknames very clear when another voice cut him off.

“Yes. I like them very much”

Ayame turned to stare at Kurogane, her eyes wide open with surprise. Even Fai looked mildly astonished. To say Kurogane was shocked was putting it lightly. The voice that had answered sounded _exactly_ like Kurogane’s; but he hadn’t uttered a single word!

“I think the nicknames are very appropriate and adorable” Kurogane’s voice continued.

The ninja’s shock quickly turned to anger as he tried to locate the source of the voice. He found it soon enough – a small mound under Ayame’s blanket. He pulled it off to find a thoroughly amused Mokona, whose ears were trembling with barely contained laughter.

“WHY YOU LITTLE DEVIL!” Kurogane roared, lunging for the little creature, “I WILL GUT YOU IN YOUR SLEEP AND EAT YOU FOR BREAKFAST!”

“Kuro-puu is mad! So mad!” Mokona sang, this time in Ayame’s voice; jumping out of harm’s way and into Fai’s waiting hands.

“That was a very good imitation, Mokona!” Fai said.

“It is one of Mokona’s 108 secret abilities!” Mokona piped up.

Fai leaned in a little closer and asked, “What about the other 107?”

At this, Mokona assumed a self-important air and answered cautiously, “It is a secret!”

“You are such a tease, Mokona” Fai cooed, nuzzling the furry creature, while Ayame laughed.

“Whatever” Kurogane huffed.  


	11. Memories, Old and New

_She is running; her tiny, ten year old feet slapping the cool marble floor one after the other, the sound echoing off the walls in the narrow corridor. She doesn’t know what she is running from, nor does she know where she is running to. She is too distraught, too scared to comprehend any of that. The silk robes she is wearing are splattered with blood; her blood and the blood of others. But it doesn’t matter. All that matters is the running. She has to run, her life depends on it. She is running, faster than she has ever run…_

_The scene shifts. She is older, fifteen maybe. Her body feels older, her legs longer – she knows this because she is covering ground quickly now. She is outdoors, the sky is velvety black with a hint of maroon. But one thing doesn’t change; she is still running. Autumn leaves scrunch; sharp, dry twigs pierce her bare feet as she runs. The smell and the heat of a raging fire hung like a blanket all around her. She hears the roars of the terrifying creatures; the screams of people she had known all her life as they were being ripped apart, but she doesn’t stop, she has to run. She has to save herself, more importantly there is someone else she has to save. She has to save…_

_The world melts once more. She is around twenty now, a full grown woman. And she is still running. The cold winter air burned her lungs as she takes deep breaths. She is only wearing a thin night gown which gives a crisp breeze the opportunity to bite at her skin. But she doesn’t care; she has to run. She has to go as far away as possible. She knows what is going to happen to her. She knows there is no way to stop it. But she has to get away, far away, she has to make sure they don’t see it. She runs through the garden filled with pine trees, their branches stooping low with the weight of the snow piled on them. She has to get far away. She has to make sure they don’t see it with their own two eyes… she has to make sure they don’t see her die._

**XXX**

Ayame woke up with a start, her heart thundering in her chest, her hands and feet clammy with cold sweat. She had to run, or else she was going to die… she had to run…

‘ _Or maybe not_ ’ said a calming voice inside her head.

It took Ayame a moment to realise that she was still in Chunhyang’s house. She was still surrounded by the same stucco walls, the same wooden beams supported the roof above. There was the same pitcher of water next to her head and a little far away, the same tin bucket into which she had emptied her lunch the previous day. She didn’t have to run; she was safe.

As if to prove that point, Ayame felt a soft, dainty hand squeeze her own.

Sakura was fast asleep next to her, holding Ayame’s hand firmly. Someone had draped a blanket over the girl, probably because they couldn’t get Sakura to let go.

‘ _She’s always had a strong grip_ ’ she thought, tugging slightly at her hand.

But Ayame knew just the trick to free herself. It was after years of trial and error, after countless nights of Sakura sneaking into her rooms and wrapping herself around Ayame, that she learnt about a spot on Sakura’s wrist, which when tickled made the young girl relinquish her grip.

“Still works like a charm” Ayame chuckled, flexing her freed fingers to coax some circulation back into them.

Ayame stood up cautiously and stretched her arms. There was no sudden rush of blood to the head, no tilting of vision, no pull at the pit of her stomach and no crashing back down to the floor. All her muscles seemed to be working fine. Ayame breathed a sigh of relief; looks like she was finally back to normal. At this, her stomach turned queasily.

Alright then, _almost_ back to normal. But that was good enough too.

Ayame bent down, scooped up her sister in her arms and stepped out of her room. She made her way to the other side of the house, into the room Sakura shared with Chunhyang and tucked the sleeping girl into her bed. Chunhyang’s futon was neatly made up. Judging by the angle of the sunlight streaming into the room through the windows, Ayame guessed it was sometime around mid-morning. Chunhyang must have gone into town.

Ayame made herself comfortable on a pillow near Sakura’s bed. The silence, punctuated only by the soft sounds of Sakura’s breathing, reminded her of another kind of silence… a silence punctuated by the sound of hurried footsteps – _her_ hurried footsteps.

There was no doubt in Ayame’s mind as to who the running person in her dream was. She felt the terror, the anxiety, the urgency a little too well for it to be anyone else. But that was all she remembered from her dreams; she only remembered that she had to run, and towards the end, she remembered that she was about to die. But why?

Ayame buried her face in her hands, trying to coax her brain to recover some detail. A small sound in the background, a word, a thought… anything that could shed some light on what was really happening. Why was someone trying to kill her? Who was trying to kill her? However, the more she tried to think about it, the more the details eluded her; like desert sand slipping through cupped fingers. Kiishimu had been on point, her dreams made no sense at all.

The sudden sound of wood grating against wood made Ayame jump.

She turned to find Fai standing at the door, grinning. His blonde head looked like it was surrounded by a halo, courtesy of the sunlight streaming in from behind him.

“Didn’t mean to startle you, Aya-chan” he whispered.

Ayame shook the foggy details of her dream out of her head and smiled back.

“I was just thinking, don’t worry about it” she said, whispering as well.

Ayame got to her feet, tip-toed to the door and quietly closed it behind her.

“How did you manage to get Sakura-chan to let go of your hand?” Fai asked as they walked into the living room and made themselves comfortable.

“I wouldn’t be her sister if I didn’t know that trick, now would I?” Ayame chuckled.

Mokona, who was perched on Fai’s shoulder, hopped onto her head and said, “Aya-chan is being a tease!”

“And don’t you know all about that, Mokona” Ayame said, tickling the creature. Then turning her attention back to Fai, she asked, “How long was Sakura sitting next to me?”

“I can’t actually say” Fai said, tapping his index finger on his chin, “But she was there for a while. She was talking to you”

“Talking?” Ayame asked, a little surprised. This was a first. “What was she talking about?”

“Sakura was talking about a birthday!” Mokona piped up.

“It was probably a memory she recovered when she got the feather” Fai explained, “She was saying that she was a little upset that you were not there. It was the first time you missed it”

Ayame instantly knew. Sakura had recovered the memories of her sixth birthday. But Ayame’s absence wasn’t the only significant thing about that particular day.

“Did she say something else?” Ayame asked.

“She did, actually” Fai answered, “She said there was an empty seat at the table, but she was still talking to it, as if someone was there. And, she felt very happy”

‘ _So this is how the price will be paid_ ’ Ayame thought.

A surge of anger and frustration burned like liquid heat in Ayame’s veins. Sakura had the right to remember everything about her past life. And Syaoran did not deserve to be reduced to an empty space. It just wasn’t fair! If only Syaoran had been a little patient, they could have found an alternative price.

“The empty chair… it was Syaoran-kun’s spot on the table, wasn’t it?” Fai asked, breaking her chain of thought.

“Yeah” Ayame said, taking a deep breath to calm herself, “It was the first birthday they spent together” She had already delved into the depths of her mind to think of a loophole in the price Syaoran had to pay when Fai’s next question caught her a little off guard.

“Why did you miss her birthday, Aya-chan?”

Ayame blinked at him.

“I… I don’t really remember” she managed, “It was so long ago”

She was lying, of course. Ayame remembered it quite well. She had been out of Clow kingdom on a military operation to help curb the civil unrest in the lands belonging to one of Clow’s allies. Those few days were etched into Ayame’s mind – firstly because it was her first mission on foreign soil… and secondly because what happened in those few days had changed something in her. Forever.

An old memory, a vivid one, flashed before her eyes.

‘ _I’m sorry… I have to… I don’t have a choice…_ ’

‘ _I did my duty, just as you are doing yours. There is nothing to be ashamed of_ ’

“Aya-chan?”

Fai’s voice sliced through her daydream.

“Yes” she answered, pushing the memory back into the rarely touched recesses of her mind.

“Are you okay?” Fai asked, his forehead scrunched into a frown, “You seemed lost for a moment there”

Ayame nodded.

“Just a random thought, I’m fine”

She gave him a smile, hoping that it would be enough to convince him. But it didn’t work; Fai fixed her with a questioning stare. He looked like he was about to ask something when the main door slid open and Syaoran walked in.

“Syaoran! You’re back!” Mokona jumped off Ayame’s head and bounced right into Syaoran’s hand.

“Hey, Syaoran” Ayame said, relieved that his timely entry saved her from any questions Fai had.

“Ayame-san!” said Syaoran, his face lighting up a little, “You’re up! Do you feel alright?”

“I’m almost back to normal” Ayame replied.

“But that’s not completely normal, is it?” he asked, his smile dropping a little.

“Geez, has the mage’s impatience rubbed off on you, kid? Give it some time”

Ayame turned around to find Kurogane sitting comfortably in his spot in the corner; arms tucked behind his head, eyes open just a fraction. She hadn’t noticed him entering the room. It told her two things – one; he was a ninja afterall, it’s probably his second nature to enter rooms undetected and two; her senses were starting to get blunt. The sickness was really doing a number on her.

“He is right, give me a couple of days more” Ayame said.

“Okay” Syaoran said, his eyes scanning the room, as if looking for something.

Ayame knew exactly what… more like who he was looking for.

“Sakura is in her room” she answered his unspoken question, “She fell asleep”

“Again?” Syaoran asked. Ayame wanted to reach out and envelope the boy in a bear hug when she saw the light in his eyes dim with worry.

“Don’t be so worried, Syaoran-kun” Fai said, “Since Sakura-chan doesn’t have all her memories, she will keep falling asleep. The next time, she might fall asleep when we are in the middle of a battle and that will be very worrying. But we won’t stop looking for the feathers, now will we?”

Syaoran shook his head.

“And that’s why you should relax” Fai continued, but Ayame noticed a difference. Gone was the happy-go-lucky grin on his face. It was replaced by a gentle smile. A sad, but genuine smile.

“Don’t think about unhappy things all the time. Otherwise, you won’t be able to forget them, even if you wanted to”

Ayame couldn’t help but feel that Fai was not just giving advice, he was talking out of experience. Not for the first time, she noted that the aloof, beaming person Fai usually pranced around as was nothing more than a façade. It was as if his cheerfulness was a reaction to something he was running away from.

“You can smile, you can be happy” Fai went on, “No one will blame you for that, Syaoran-kun. Someone will feel happy for you”

Syaoran thought about it for a while and then, finally, a small smile made its way across his face. It was nothing close to the open smile Ayame cherished so much, but it was something.

“Syaoran is smiling! Mokona is very happy!”

Fai reverted back to his goofy self as he agreed with Mokona, “I’m happy too!” Then with a sideways glance at the seated ninja, he added, “Kuro-pin is happy as well!”

“Don’t drag me into this” Kurogane grunted.

“Don’t be such a meanie, Kuro-wan!” Fai cooed.

“MY NAME IS KUROGANE!”

“Hey, hey, keep it down, Sakura is still sleeping!” Ayame said, but it fell on deaf ears.

Fai continued to tease Kurogane and the ninja kept yelling at the mage. Just when it looked like Kurogane was going to jump up and break Fai in two, the door to Chunhyang’s room slid open. Sakura stumbled out, rubbing her eyes drowsily.

“How did I get here? I remember being in Nee-chan’s room…” she said, plopping down on a pillow next to Ayame.

“You fell asleep, Sakura” Ayame replied.

“I’m sorry” Sakura said in a small voice.

“Don’t be, Sakura-chan” Fai said, “I know that you are worried because you don’t have all your memories. But still, try to enjoy this journey as much as you can”

Sakura looked slightly confused for a moment, but then soon, a smile broke out on her face.

“Yes” she said, “There may be many things I don’t understand and because of that, I may get in your way. But I will work hard and do all the things that I can do to help”

‘ _Nee-chan, I know there are so many things about what happened there that I don’t understand. But still, I want to help, in any way possible. Even if it is a small thing, I want to help!_ ’

For the first time, Ayame saw a flicker of Sakura’s former self blooming amidst all the confusion and nervousness. It filled her with an indescribable feeling – relief that her sister wasn’t lost, determination to continue forward, and most of all: hope. Hope that someday, however far that day maybe, everything will be fixed. As Sakura would say, everything will be alright.

Ayame’s hands draped themselves over Sakura’s shoulders and pulled her closer.

“Nee-chan, what is it?” Sakura asked, slightly surprised by the gesture.

“Nothing” Ayame replied after placing a swift kiss on Sakura’s head, “Nothing at all”

**XXX**

Fei-Wong Reed's hand shook with barely contained irritation. So much that the red wine in the glass he held began to slosh out. But he didn't take any notice of it. His gaze was fixed on the circular looking glass in front of him. He saw the boy, the princess, his pawn and the witch's man zooming through the space-time vortex... with _her_. As he watched, the group landed in a chilly, snow-covered world.

This, of course, did not surprise him; it was as per his plans afterall. Everything was going according to his plan.

Well, almost everything.

Right from the beginning, the Crown Princess was a thorn in his side; being in places she was not supposed to be, tearing up his intricately woven web. He had smoothened out most of the disturbances, turned them back into his favour, but somehow he had not been able to take care of the root of the problem. The protection placed on her was too strong and she was beyond his reach due to the rules of interference... but now… a wave of glee somewhat washed away his annoyance.

"How things have changed, Clow Reed" Fei-Wong Reed smirked.

Xing-Huo stepped out of the shadows on hearing her master’s remark.

"You seem to be in an odd mood" she noted.

"That is one way to put it" he replied, "I was annoyed before, but an ocean of possibilities has opened up to me now. I can't help but feel optimistic"

"Does it have to do with the older Princess?"

"Indeed it does. For so many years, she was cloaked and very well protected. But now, the protection has been lifted, giving me the opportunity to take care of this problem, once and for all"

"Her breaking open that one seal in the previous world turned out to be a double-edged sword I see" Xing-Huo said, her tone flat.

Fei-Wong Reed was not surprised that she had worked it out. Even though her impassive face rarely gave anything away, over time, he had come to realise that this particular creation of his was quite perceptive.

"True" he said, after drinking deeply from his glass, "Clow Reed placed those seals on her because her powers were acting like a beacon. They were so powerful that I could use the distortion they caused to bypass the rules of interference. Once they were cloaked, however, there was nothing I could do. Now..."

"The first seal is gone. Releasing a fraction of her power. But that alone is enough to use as an excuse to intervene" Xing-Huo continued. After a small pause, she asked, "Have you informed them that the subjects of interest are on their way?"

"Yes" Fei-Wong Reed grinned, "And especially _he_ has been waiting for this for quite some time"

With this, he turned his attention back to the looking glass. Now, the mage and the ninja were arguing with the older princess. A moment or so later, she swayed dangerously where she stood. At this, the mage said he had enough and lifted her up with no effort, saying that both he and the ninja would take turns to carry her till they found a place to stay for the night. The princess didn't argue. Soon, she fell asleep.

"I wouldn’t be resting if I was you, Princess of Clow... not when the final, eternal sleep is almost upon you”

**XXX**

_Is she standing or floating? She can feel a cool surface beneath her feet, but at the same time the lack of any pressure on them made her feel like her feet were not supporting her. What is the deal here anyway?_

_Her surroundings are dark; muted reds and blacks and purples; shifting and twisting and turning like mist and fog, as if they are unable to decide their shape and form._

_The moment the thought crosses her mind, everything around her starts to change._

_The mist begins to swirl with more urgency. Bits and parts of it solidify. A vast, windowless, circular chamber materializes around her. As she watches, the mist gathers at the perimeter of the chamber to form high, pearly white arches supported by equally pristine looking pillars. She counts eight pillars, nestling eight massive, intricately carved dark wooden doors in between them. The floor is made of marble too. Right in the centre of the room is a small pool, filled with water so clear that she can see the grey marble bottom without any difficulty._

_Something catches her attention._

_She notices the water reflecting back colours – blues and reds and oranges and greens. Her eyes travel upwards till they find the ceiling. It is made of stained glass. The curly, meandering patterns on them seem to be random at first, but on close observation she sees they are words; words of an ancient, long forgotten language… a language she has seen before…_

_Suddenly, awe turns into panic._

_She knows where she is._

_She knows this is not a dream._

_As if in response to her revelation, the atmosphere in the room tilts._

_A terrible dread fills her bit by bit, till every nerve in her body is lit with fear._

_The first thing that hits her is the smell… a thick, metallic, pungent odour fills her nose._

_The last traces of the lingering mist zoom away. The scene gets sharper. She can finally see clearly._

_Marble walls are splattered with a dark, viscous liquid; no longer pristine white, but still beautiful, albeit morbidly so now. More than a dozen men and women; majority in black armour, few in sandy brown battle garb, littered the floor, all wounded beyond repair – their limbs bent at unnatural angles, blood still gushing out of their wounds. Some of the blood finds its way to the pool in the centre, tinging the clear water with a light shade of crimson._

_Floating in the crimson water is another body. A woman’s. Face down. Her thick, midnight black hair fan out along with her long, silk robes, whose pure white was now tainted with the crimson of the blood in the pool._

_She knows where she is… she knows what’s happening… and now her mind is covered with a thick blanket of panic._

_“No… no… why… what did I do…?”_

_Through her panic, she hears the sobs coming from the end of the room._

_She forces herself to look at the little girl, huddled in the niche between the pillar and the wall. Her face is hidden behind her hands, which are stained with blood, just like her white silk robes. Hair, which was once tied into neat braids, is now a midnight black mess… the same midnight black as the woman’s in the pool._

_She didn’t need to see her face to know who the little girl is._

_“You did this, Princess” a slick, smooth, bodiless voice answers._

_“No!” the little girl sobs._

_No… how could she have done this… it can’t be true…_

_“Yes, you did. It was you. You and your power, they have always been a problem. The proof is right here”_

_“NO!” the girl is screaming, “YOU DID THIS! YOU CAME HERE! YOU! WITH YOUR OWN TWO HANDS YOU… KILLED… YOU KILLED…!!!!”_

_He... he killed her… HE KILLED HER!_

_She looks around for the source of the voice, but she sees nothing. She has to find him… she has to…_

_“I was doing what I was told to do, nothing more, nothing less… after all…”_

_She needs to find him… she needs to know who he is…_

“Aya-chan, you need to wake up!”

_No…no… she can’t wake up… not yet… she needs to know… she needs to see a face…_

“Please, Ayame-san… please wake up”

_Where is he? WHERE IS HE!?_

_A figure begins to emerge from one of the many shadows. A man. Tall and lanky._

_“Afterall, I am one hell of a butler”_

_There… that was him… the man who did it…_

“Hey!”

_No please… she can’t wake up… not just yet…_

“Nee-chan! Please”

**XXX**

The dream shatters; the still surface distorted by the ripples created by the voices of her companions.

**XXX**

“Ayame-san?”

“Nee-chan!”

“Are you okay now?”

“Aya-chan!?”

Even before Ayame could open her eyes properly, the concerned voices filled her ears, clanging inside her groggy head. With some effort, she plopped herself up on her elbows and blinked rapidly. Slowly, the hapless forms came into focus – Syaoran’s relieved face, Sakura almost in tears, Kurogane’s reassured but slightly annoyed look and finally Fai, who was already hiding behind his nonchalant smile.

“Nee-chan!” Sakura launched at her. The sudden movement made Ayame lose her balance and she fell back into the bed, dragging Sakura along with her.

“Hello there” the hoarseness of her own voice surprised her. Ayame cleared her throat and tried again.

“Hey everyone, I’m awake” she said, her voice sounding somewhat normal now.

“Well you better be, we have been trying for a while now” Fai laughed, “Even Kuro-pin moved from his regular gloomy spot in the corner”

“My name is Kurogane!” the ninja snarled. Then turning to Ayame, he added, “But he is on point”

Syaoran nodded vigorously.

Ayame detached herself from Sakura and sat up. The young girl seated herself comfortably as Ayame made a note of her surroundings.

The bed she was sitting on was the only one in the smallish, square room. Other furniture comprised of one rickety looking table, a couple of chairs and a three-seater sofa. A couple of mattresses and a pile of blankets lay on the carpeted floor next to the table. The pale yellow walls were bare except for a painting of snowy mountains which hung above the mantelpiece. A fire was crackling away merrily in the grate, its warmth giving a sense of cosiness to the room. Her eyes passed over the frost-caked windows. She couldn’t see much outside, it was… dark?

“How long have I been asleep?” Ayame asked, looking to the others for answers.

“You’re finally asking the right questions” Fai said. Ayame thought she heard an undertone of worry in his voice. “We reached this world around noon and you fell asleep soon after. It’s past dinner time now”

“I’ve been sleeping for more than half a day!?” Ayame exclaimed, “Why didn’t you wake me up sooner?”

“You’ve just recovered, Nee-chan” Sakura said, frowning a little, “So we thought it was best to let you sleep”

“And you were fine… till a while ago” Syaoran continued, “You became really restless and began to whimper. We had no choice but to wake you up”

Ayame took a deep breath to free herself from the lingering images of her dream… no… her recently recovered memory.

“I’m sorry” Ayame said, looking at all of them one by one. When her gaze finally rested on Sakura, she took the young girl’s hand in her own and squeezed it gently, “I really didn’t want to worry you”

Sakura returned the gesture. “Don’t be sorry, Nee-chan. As long as you are alright”

“Exactly, Ayame-san. You rest up as much as you need” Syaoran smiled.

Kurogane, however, looked like he was going to snap. He was just about to open his mouth when Fai piped up.

“You know, when you were asleep, I taught Sakura-chan how to make hot chocolate”

Sakura’s face lit up immediately. “Fai-san is a very good teacher! And it was very easy. I’ll make some for Nee-chan right away! I’m sure the landlady won’t mind!” She immediately jumped up and walked out of the room.

Syaoran went after her saying, “I’ll help” He gave a brief nod to Ayame before closing the door behind him.

After a few moments of silence, Ayame said, “I don’t appreciate your method, Fai-san. But still, thank you for sending those two out before our favourite ninja explodes”

That was the breaking point for Kurogane.

“Those two can be very content with you being just alright” he snapped, “But I want to know what the hell happened after we left you with that woman in the castle”

“He is not the only one, Aya-chan” Fai said, smiling no longer, “Whatever happened, it is serious. First it was affecting your body, now your mind”

“And I keep telling you it’s not” Ayame insisted, “I am fine”

“Then what happened just now?” Kurogane’s eyes narrowed.

“A bad dream” came the reply.

“No one has bad dreams for so many days in a row, Aya-chan” Fai said.

Ayame blinked at him before she could stop herself. When did he notice?

Her reaction didn’t slip past Fai. He offered her a playful smile, saying, “Yes, I did notice”

“So?” Kurogane asked, “Are you going to spill the beans or not?”

“I am not” Ayame answered firmly. After a thought she added, “You two have no reason to feel responsible. I chose this. It’s on me. So please, stop beating yourselves up”

Kurogane let out an irritated huff while Fai’s brow simply furrowed. But that didn’t change Ayame’s mind. She herself had not come to terms with her current situation, especially after her recent dream. It would be unfair to burden someone else with her problems. No matter how much Fai and Kurogane pestered her, she wouldn’t tell them anything without figuring things out herself. Or till it was absolutely necessary to tell them.

“It is your choice at the end of the day, Aya-chan” Fai said, though there was a sternness in his voice she had never heard before, “But if this keeps up, you will have to answer our questions”

“I understand. I will take care” Ayame said as the door opened and Syaoran walked in with Sakura right on his heels, holding a steaming mug in her hands.

“Here you go, Nee-chan” Sakura said, handing over the mug to Ayame before snuggling close to her.

Ayame shuffled a little to make sure they both were comfortable. When she was satisfied, she turned to the others and said, “Alright, bring me up to speed”

**XXX**

By the time Fai finished narrating everything that happened since they landed in the country of Jade, with some help from Syaoran and Sakura, Ayame had lapped up every single drop of the hot chocolate, much to the younger girl’s delight.

“You know, one thing doesn’t add up” Ayame said, “You all managed to get food and rent out this room. How did you get this world’s currency?”

At this, Syaoran shuffled his feet nervously while Fai grinned sheepishly. Even Kurogane, who was fuming in one corner of the room, opened his eyes just a fraction. Sakura simply looked at Ayame, then at Fai and Syaoran, and then back at her sister, as if she couldn’t understand the sudden shift in the room.

“What did you guys do?” Ayame asked slowly, getting more and more suspicious with every passing second.

“Well…” Fai began carefully, moving just a little away from the bed, “Let’s just say, we won them?”

Ayame pulled her legs out of the blanket and placed them on the cold wooden floor saying, “Won them how?”

“We had a few cards… some very sporting gentlemen… and –” Fai’s voice dropped so low that Ayame had to struggle to catch the next words “– Sakura-chan’s luck”

It took a moment for the meaning to click. When it did, Ayame flew off the bed and gave chase to the already escaping Fai, startling everyone.

“FAI. D. FLUORITE!” she roared, swinging her fists at Fai, who dodged them while grinning like a maniac, “HOW DARE YOU MAKE MY LITTLE SISTER PLAY POKER! I WILL KILL YOU!”

“Ooooo, now I’ve made Aya-chan really mad!” Fai laughed.

The cat and mouse chase continued, with Syaoran and Sakura trying to stop them in vain, till Kurogane finally lost his patience. He grabbed Fai with one hand and shoved Ayame back into the bed with the other, effectively ending Mokona’s late night entertainment.

When tempers cooled down and jokes were shushed with a firm hand to the back of the head, the group finally decided to call it a day. Sakura and Ayame took the bed, Syaoran the sofa with Mokona nestled cosily on his head, and Fai and Kurogane slept on the mattresses.

Sleep rolled in quickly and within no time, the cosy room above the diner was filled with soft purrs and hums of soundly sleeping travellers… well all except Ayame.

Now that the room was quiet and there was nothing to take up her attention, Ayame’s mind kept going back to the old memory she relived in her dreams. The dying fire cast dancing shadows which normally would’ve calmed her. Now, however, they reminded her of the shadows in the inner sanctum beneath the Clow Palace. The memory played over and over again in her head, as if making up for the years it spent locked away. She remembered every single detail – the blood-splattered columns, the bodies, the crimson pool, her mother’s body lying face down, the voice of that man in the shadows.

The man who killed her mother and changed her whole life.

Ayame couldn’t bear to lie down anymore. She slowly got out of bed, taking care not to wake Sakura. By the time she tip-toed to one of the chairs, the fire had all but died out, leaving the bar of moonlight spilling in through the window as the only source of light in the room. She placed the chair near the window and sat down. Her breath misted the frosted window as she watched the snow fall soundlessly, her mind whirring and clicking in the silence.

In the dream, Ayame had relived the horror of that night. The raw emotions of her ten year old self still rattled in her head – the hopelessness, the helplessness, the sheer and complete terror. Her body began to shake and a lump rose in her throat. She hadn’t felt like this in years. For one moment, she wished she never broke the seal, wished she never recovered that memory.

However, the thought was pushed away as soon as it surfaced in her mind. She was no longer a scared, powerless little girl anymore. Ayame was a different person now – a woman who had been through hell and back. However terrifying the memory was, she reminded herself that she had seen worse and she had made it out. Her eyes lingered on Syaoran’s sleeping form for a while and then on Sakura’s. She had people to look after; she didn’t have the time, nor the luxury to wallow in grief and self-pity.

Ayame wiped the tears that had snuck down her face and ran the memory through her head again, this time with an analytical mind. Now that she had her emotions under control, she saw that there were still some missing links. What was she doing in the inner sanctum? How did the man get there? How did all those people die? Who were those people? There was still so much she didn’t remember.

She hadn’t recovered the full memory.

And there was also that man…

Part of her wished Sakura and the others had not woken her up. If they could have just left her for a while longer, she might have seen his face. It didn’t bother her much though. She had a clue, she had a direction. She would find that man… the man with the smooth voice and blood on his hands, and get justice, even if it was the last thing she did.

**XXX**

A new world, a new wardrobe… and a new headache for Ayame.

After going through a series of dresses, gowns, blouses, bodices, skirts and spending ten breathless minutes in a corset, Ayame finally decided on a few pieces which were somewhat comfortable. (She said that just for Sakura’s sake, in reality, she hated them). Honestly, why was women’s clothing in most cultures so restrictive?

“It is a little unconventional, ma’am, but I think it suits you very well!” the tailor said, glancing nervously at the pile of clothes Ayame and Sakura had him pull out.

Ayame looked at herself one more time. She wore a tight sleeved, high necked, lavender lace blouse over a matching skirt which had so many layers of petticoat that Ayame didn’t bother to count. Both the sleeves and the hem of the skirt had blood-red detailing. The outfit was held together with a simple black belt. She had to admit, it did make her look very regal.

“Now, just one more thing needs to be done” Sakura said, pulling up a chair.

When she motioned Ayame to sit down, the older princess raised an eyebrow.

“You need to get that hair of yours under control, Nee-chan!” Sakura said in a matter-of-factly tone.

“Don’t tell me you are going to braid my hair, it’s not going to happen” Ayame said, “It gives me a solid headache”

“Stop beating around the bush, Nee-chan” Sakura scolded, “You say that because you are too impatient and restless to handle a braid”

“You wish” Ayame scoffed.

“Please” Sakura pouted.

At that, Ayame finally gave in. She knew there was no point in arguing with her after the pouting began. Even though she grumbled and complained the whole time Sakura worked on her hair, Ayame was secretly pleased to see some fire and life back in her sister.

Sakura had just finished braiding Ayame’s hair into an elegant bun when Fai poked his head into the shop.

“Ah! You ladies are ready on time!” he said, “We just came back with our rides” After a quick assessment of their clothes, he added, “Might I say you two look really lovely”

“Thank you, Fai-san” Sakura said.

“And you better stop right there” Ayame warned.

“I see our Warrior Princess is feisty as always, even in such elegant clothes” Fai teased.

“Oh shut up!” Ayame said, blushing a little, while Sakura chuckled.

Fai had a retort ready, but was interrupted when the tailor hurried towards them and handed Sakura a white cloak and Ayame a grey cape coat. Fai paid the tailor what was due and they exited the shop.

The previous night, Ayame hadn’t noticed the cold, thanks to the fire in the room. Now that they were out in the open, the frigid air bit at her exposed skin and made shivers run relay races up her spine. An irritated hiss escaped her mouth as she tightened the coat around her and pulled on her woollen gloves.

“Took you people long enough” Kurogane said when they reached the spot where he and Syaoran were waiting with three horses.

“Shouldn’t there be four horses?” Ayame asked.

“We were going to get four, Ayame-san, but apparently it is extremely unusual for women to ride a horse on their own in this world. So we got only three” Syaoran explained.

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” Even though it’s barely been a day since they arrived, Ayame was already not liking this world.

“Sakura-chan will be going with Syaoran-kun, Kuro-nii has the luggage. Which leaves you and me, Aya-chan!” Fai said with enthusiasm Ayame was not sharing.

“Let’s just go” Ayame sighed.

She mounted the horse first, then Fai behind her. After making a quick check of all their belongings, they set out on the road to the northern country.

Snow crunched and gravel shifted as they maintained a steady pace on the narrow, meandering road. The trees on either side were stripped bare and stooping a little with the weight of the snow piled up on them. Fai said they were wonderfully curved at the perfect angle. Ayame, on the other hand, thought they looked ghostly against the muted grey of the afternoon sky. She looked up and sighed, her breath puffing out in small, white clouds.

“I hope it doesn’t snow” she said.

“If I were you, I wouldn’t get my hopes up” Fai said, looking up as well.

“Brilliant” Ayame huffed.

“You really don’t like it here, do you?” Fai chuckled, “Is it the cold?”

“It’s more like the kind of cold” Ayame replied, “Even though I’m from a desert country, it can get really cold at night. But that kind of cold is dry. This cold here tends to bite at you” She shivered a little when she said that last part.

“You do have a point there” Fai said.

Most of the journey the little group spent in making small talk. They talked about the weather in their home worlds, they discussed the legend of the golden-haired princess, Fai and Mokona provided a certain amount of entertainment by finding new ways to irritate Kurogane. A while later, however, cold winds began to rip down the path and the talking ceased briefly as everyone focused on maintaining their pace and keeping themselves warm.

Ayame shivered uncontrollably as another gust of wind blew past them.

“Are you sure you won’t fall sick, Aya-chan?” Fai asked.

Ayame could feel Fai’s breath on the side of her face as he spoke, the warmth sending shivers up her spine.

“I’m sure I’ll be fine” Ayame said through chattering teeth.

Fai hummed thoughtfully at her reply, as if he was thinking something through. After a couple of minutes, he said, “I might be able to help you out”

“Help me out how?” Ayame had barely finished the question when she felt cold fingers touch the nape of her neck. She felt a shift in response. The magic in Ayame’s blood began to run faster than normal, warming her up instantly.

“What did you do?” Ayame asked, thankful for the relief the sudden warmth offered.

“I did nothing at all” came Fai’s reply. The sudden change in tone did not escape her.

Ayame twisted to get a better look at him. His face was indecipherable; his usual cheerful grin was in place, but there was something in his eyes. A look of a person who knows he did something he shouldn’t have. As Ayame tried to discern exactly what was going on, sapphire eyes refused to meet her gaze.

Nervous. That’s what he was. Fai. D. Fluorite was nervous.

“Fai-san? You alright?”

“Me! Of course I am” Fai said, though the smile on his face faltered just a little, “I didn’t do anything to you, by the way. I just kick started your magic to flow faster. That’s what is giving you warmth. But it’s a temporary fix. So you might want to talk less and save your strength, Aya-chan”

With that, Fai fixed his eyes on the road.

Ayame turned and did the same with an exasperated sigh.

‘ _Just what is up with this guy?_ ’

**XXX**

“Hey guys look, a signboard!” Mokona said, pointing at a post fixed at a turn in the road.

When they reached the post, Ayame squinted up at the words etched into the creaking wooden sign. She didn’t understand the meaning, but the script looked vaguely familiar.

“Can you read it, Syaoran?” Ayame asked, “I think I have seen it somewhere before”

Syaoran was also observing the board carefully.

“Spirit” he said slowly, “I think that’s how it is pronounced”

“You can actually read it!” Fai said, sounding impressed.

“That’s amazing!” Sakura said.

“It’s nothing really…” Syaoran fumbled, an embarrassed blush covering his face.

“Hey” Kurogane said, “It’s no time to be joking around”

Ayame followed his gaze and understood what he meant.

They were on a small hill, which overlooked a town Ayame assumed was called Spirit. The road they were on passed right through the modest looking town; with its snow-laden cottages, stables, and a square right in the middle which looked like it could be the market-place. But that is not what caught Kurogane’s attention. The moment the small group became visible to the town, the people milling about immediately ran back into their homes. As they approached the town, Ayame could hear the sounds of doors and windows slamming shut and bolts being fastened.

“I feel like we are not welcome here” Fai said with a nervous laugh when they reached the first line of houses.

“It’s not ‘feel like’. It is the truth” Kurogane corrected him.

Ayame agreed. She could see scared and curious eyes peering out of the windows, but when she tried to make eye contact, they quickly disappeared. Tension hung thick in the air, as if the entire town was on edge.

Just when Ayame had lost hope of finding anyone to ask what was going on, a door in one of the nearby houses clicked open and a girl about nine to ten years old walked out.

“Fai-san, stop right here” Ayame said. She dismounted and slowly walked towards the girl. Ayame expected the girl to run back inside, but she stood her ground and looked up at Ayame with polite curiosity. This was a good sign.

Ayame bent down till she was on eye-level with the little girl. “Hello”

“Hello” she replied shyly.

“That is an adorable toy you have there” Ayame said, pointing at the stuffed cat the girl was holding.

“His name is Kero” the girl gave Ayame an innocent smile, “Would you like to hold him?”

“Only if it’s okay with you”

Ayame was about to take the toy the girl held out to her when the door next to them flew open and a panicked woman hurried out.

“How many times have I told you not to go out!” she yelled. She then grabbed the little girl by the arm and dragged her back in. Just before the door closed, Ayame thought she saw the woman give her a look filled with fear and suspicion.

“That went well” Ayame sighed, staring at the closed door.

Suddenly, the air was filled with the thumping of running feet and Ayame and the others were surrounded by more than a dozen men pointing their weapons at them. The sudden movement scared the horses and while Syaoran, Fai, and Kurogane tried to calm them down, Ayame turned to get a better look at the men.

“Who are you people?” one of them asked. He then turned his attention to Ayame and said, “And you, woman. What were you doing to that girl? Were you trying to kidnap her?”

“Kidnap her! Don’t be ridiculous!” Ayame protested.

“Tell us the truth!” the man yelled, charging at her.

Ayame tried to get back and retaliate. However, her skirt got in the way and she stumbled.

‘ _This is exactly why I hate skirts!_ ’ she thought.

Her companions yelled out in alarm when the man covered the distance between them quickly, weapon raised. But there was nothing she could do, she was a sitting duck.

Just when Ayame thought she was going to get hit for sure; a tall, lanky form appeared out of nowhere. Ayame felt a pair of strong arms sweep her off her feet, startling her. All she could do in her surprised state was throw her arms around the man’s neck for support as he jumped up and landed smoothly on one of the nearby rooftops.

“Is this how you treat a beautiful young woman? How tasteless” the man said, not bothering to hide his disapproval. He then set her back on her feet carefully and said, “Are you hurt, ma’am? I apologise for the inconvenience these men have caused you”

The man was easily taller than her. He was neatly dressed in a crisp black suit with a matching tailcoat. His black hair was slightly messy, with a few strands falling down to frame is pale, handsome face. A pair of dark red eyes regarded her curiously.

“I’m okay” Ayame replied, returning the man’s gaze. Why did she feel like she had seen him somewhere before? “Thank you”

The man bowed deeply without breaking eye contact and said, “That is unnecessary, ma’am. My name is Sebastian Michaelis, and I am at your service”


	12. The Snows of Spirit

“Sebastian! What the hell do you think you are doing!?” the man who tried to attack Ayame yelled, his black, jagged eyebrows quivering with irritation.

“Exactly what he should be!” an unfamiliar voice answered urgently.

The first thing Ayame heard were the hurried footsteps. From her vantage point, she saw a friendly-looking young man running towards them, his face a picture of worry and indignation. His spotless white shirt, dark trousers, and coat looked finer and more elegant compared to the clothes of the men surrounding them. This, put together with the round glasses perched on his nose and the suitcase in his hand, made Ayame think he was one of the more distinguished persons of the town.

For a second, the image of the young boy from the Dimensional Witch’s shop flashed before her eyes. However, she pushed it out of her head when the man spoke.

“How dare you point your rifles at innocent travellers!” he said, taking a stand between her friends and the townsmen.

“But Doctor!” one of the men protested, “At a time like this, these foreigners…!”

A doctor. Ayame’s guess had been spot on.

The man did not budge. Blue eyes glinted with defiance. “The least you could do, is give them a chance to explain why they are here,” he reasoned.

The men gathered broke out into a heated discussion. Some of the townsmen seemed confused, some angry while others stubborn but a few, just a few, were nodding their heads in agreement. However, they were still holding Sakura and the others at gunpoint. She could see her companions glance back and forth between her and the men apprehensively.

Ayame turned to Sebastian and said, “Do you mind getting me down back to my companions, Mr…?”

“Sebastian would do just fine,” he answered with a bow, a quick smile flashing across his face. “And of course, I will get you down right away.”

Once again, Sebastian moved with surprising agility. He swept Ayame off her feet and jumped. They were back down in no time.

Even before her feet touched solid ground, Fai got off his horse and covered the distance between them in three quick strides.

“Aya-chan, you alright?”

His face was an indecipherable mask. While his customary smile was in place, sapphire eyes seemed to have a steely edge to them.

“Yeah,” Ayame replied.

“You seem to have a penchant for trouble, Princess,” Kurogane huffed.

Ayame couldn’t help but smile inwardly when she saw a similar steel in the ninja’s eyes as well.

She then turned to Sakura and Syaoran. “You two good?”

Before any of them could answer, however, the townsmen seemed to reach an agreement. One of them spoke up.

“Fine, we will listen to the Doctor and start over. Who are you people and what are you doing here?”

While Ayame’s mind was in the process of cooking up a convincing reply, Syaoran answered confidently, “We are travelling around the world to investigate mythologies and architectures of different lands.”

The man frowned. “And why are you doing that?”

“We want to write a book,” Syaoran replied, his face a perfect picture of calm. Not a single muscle on his face betrayed the outright lie.

The atmosphere in the little gathering shifted immediately. While the townsmen just stared at Syaoran with disbelief, Sakura seemed to be astonished. Not as astonished as Kurogane though, who was gawking at Syaoran with his mouth slightly open. Fai, on the other hand, looked like he was mildly amused with the sudden turn of events. Ayame was the only one who wasn’t surprised; she had heard this exact same lie quite a few times afterall.

“Write a book! A boy like you!?” the man said once he recovered from the initial shock.

The sudden outburst did not affect Syaoran the slightest. “No, not me,” Syaoran clarified. He then pointed in the direction where Ayame and Fai were standing and said, “It’s that person.”

‘ _Who does he mean, me or Fai-san?_ ’ Ayame wondered.

Fai took advantage of Ayame’s hesitation and took up the reigns of Syaoran’s fib smoothly.

“That would be me.” Fai put on a gracious smile with no effort. He gave a small bow. “The young boy is my assistant. This lovely young woman right here – ” he placed his hand on the small of Ayame’s back, his eyes glinting impishly “– is my fiancé.”

Ayame had to control the immediate urge to grab the man by the collar, throw him into the ground and pound him till that slimy smirk slid right off his face. She knew… she just _knew_. When she saw that look in his eye, she knew. Obviously Fai was up to mischief. Leave it to him to find a way to irritate her at the exact moment she couldn’t afford to react. Ayame did her best to keep a straight face. However, everyone else’s reaction did nothing to help maintain her composure – Syaoran’s eyebrows shot up into his bangs while Sakura simply tilted her head in confusion. Kurogane, on the other hand, looked like he was about to burst out laughing _and_ itching to throw something at the mage.

The grin on Fai’s face simply widened.

He continued, ignoring the glares Ayame was throwing at him, “The young girl with my assistant is my fiancé’s younger sister. And the man here –” he now pointed at Kurogane “– is my serv…”

Ayame shifted her position just a little and firmly stepped on Fai’s foot, cutting him off. The movement went unnoticed; for the first time in her life, Ayame was thankful for a skirt. From the corner of her eye, she could see the mage’s eye water in pain. Ayame smirked; it was not even close to the revenge she wanted, but something was better than nothing.

“That man over there is a close friend of mine. He is accompanying us on our journey” she said.

Kurogane flinched just a little at that.

The man who had asked the question could barely wait till Ayame finished. “You have made your business here clear,” he said, hoisting his weapon, “And now we are making ourselves clear. Get out of this town. You are not welcome.”

Ayame’s immediate reaction to his words were irritation. She, however, quickly brushed it aside and focused on the people surrounding her. They were tense; arms and legs ready to attack, forehead furrowed, eyes brimming with hostility. But beneath all that, there was one common emotion that bound them all together, an emotion whose stench was as unmistakable as that of rotting eggs – fear. Suddenly, Ayame’s own hostility was somewhat replaced with patient understanding.

“This is unacceptable!” the Doctor protested, “No matter what our problems, our mood should never dictate our manners!”

He then turned towards Ayame and the others with open arms. “I apologise for our rudeness, travellers. Welcome to Spirit.”

“Do as it pleases you, Doctor,” said the man with the jagged eyebrows, “But if they put even a toe out of line, we will not hesitate to haul them out of town.” This was met by nods and murmurs of agreement as the small group disbanded, almost all of them throwing suspicious glares at the group of travellers as they left.

**XXX**

The walk to the good Doctor’s place was thankfully uneventful. Even though half a dozen weapons pointed his way didn’t make Fai nervous, he preferred to avoid conflict. However, he didn’t miss the mistrustful gaze of unseen eyes following them. When they reached the house and the door closed behind with a final click, Fai had to control the urge to sigh with relief.

Sebastian immediately excused himself and got a fire started, before bustling into the kitchen to set a kettle boiling. Within no time, all of them were comfortably settled in the well-furnished, warm living room with steaming tea in their hands.

“Oh yes, I didn’t introduce myself,” the Doctor said, “My name is Kyle Rondart. I am a doctor in this town. And this is my assistant, Sebastian Michaelis.” The man gave a brief bow at the mention of his name.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Ayame frown suspiciously when Sebastian was introduced, but it was gone in the blink of an eye. He made a mental note to ask her about it later.

An awkward silence followed. Fai decided to end it.

“Where are my manners, we haven’t introduced ourselves as well,” he said, “My name is Fai D. Fluorite. The young boy there is Syaoran.” Syaoran gave a curt nod. “Sakura is the young girl next to him.” The princess gave a shy smile. “The man in black over there is Kurogane.” The ninja simply raised his hand in acknowledgement. Fai then smiled broadly before introducing the one remaining person. “And this lovely young woman is my fiancé, Ayame.” Fai had to bite his cheeks to stop himself from laughing when an angry flush bloomed on Ayame’s pale face.

Kyle chuckled good-naturedly. “When is the happy day?” he asked, glancing at Ayame. He probably misunderstood the blush.

Fai bit his cheeks harder. Ayame turned a deeper shade of red.

“Right after I finish my book. Which will be soon, I hope,” To make a point, he reached out and took Ayame’s hand in his. “We have been engaged for quite some time now, but as you can see, she is still very shy.” The last few words came out a little strained. Ayame’s nails were biting into his skin, but he held on anyway. The look of complete outrage on her face was worth the marks he was sure she was going to leave.

“Thank you for helping us out earlier, Dr. Kyle,” Syaoran said. Fai was sure that the boy intervened to help out the older princess.

“No, please,” Kyle said, “It was extremely rude of the people in the town to treat you the way they did.” Then after a thought, he added, “You all just came into town, right? Do you have a place to stay?”

“We were hoping to rent a couple of rooms in the town inn,” Ayame said, smoothly removing her hand from Fai’s, but not before shooting a warning glare. Fai simply grinned back.

“No need to worry about that,” Kyle said, “You all can stay here.”

“We couldn’t possibly trouble you more than we already have,” Ayame protested.

“It’s no trouble at all,” Sebastian assured them, “This used to be an inn before the Doctor bought it. There are many vacant rooms.”

Fai was about to express his gratitude, but the words were lost when the door flew open with a bang, startling him.

A loud shout filled the formerly peaceful living room. “WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS DOCTOR!? BRINGING OUTSIDERS HERE AT A TIME LIKE THIS!”

A tall, stern-looking man with long black hair and a thin, well-kept moustache marched into the room. He was a man who was used to authority: his clothes were rich and sophisticated, a gold chain hung from his breast pocket, his shoes polished till they shone. The ornately decorated cane in his hand clicked purposefully on the wooden floor with every stride. He stopped near the coffee table around which they were seated, taking a moment to give each and every one of the travellers a cold stare before fixing his gaze on Kyle. A second later, a distraught-looking, balding old man wheezed into the room; clearly struggling to keep up with the man.

From the corner of his eye, Fai saw all his companions tense up – Syaoran and Kurogane, who were standing, moved in a little closer, Ayame straightened up, her jaw set. Sakura, on the other hand, set her cup on the table and placed her hands firmly on her lap, trying her best not to twist them nervously. On his part, Fai was still at ease in his spot on the sofa’s arm rest. His eyes, however, were trained on the newcomers; he was ready to pounce at a moment’s notice.

“Mr. Glossam, please, calm down,” the old man pleaded.

The man, Mr. Glossam, brought down his cane impatiently with a bang, making both Sakura and the old man flinch. “How can I be calm, Mr. Mayor!” he yelled, “We still haven’t found any of the missing children!”

Missing children?

That piqued Fai’s interest. He was about to ask, but then stopped himself. It was better to see how this played out.

If Dr. Kyle was even a little rattled by the sudden intrusion, he didn’t show it.

“These people are studying legends all over the world,” he explained calmly, “They might be able to help us with our situation. That’s why I have invited them to stay.”

The answer only seemed to anger Mr. Glossam further. He brandished his cane in their direction saying, “These vagabonds, that came out of nowhere? What do they know?”

“They know things that are unknown to us. Their experience and insight can prove to be helpful,” Kyle insisted.

Mr. Glossam huffed. “If anything happens, it will be too late.” And with that, he marched out, leaving an even more flustered Mayor behind.

“Any… anyway, please make sure these people leave by tomorrow morning,” he said weakly, before hurrying out of the room behind Mr. Glossam, who showed no signs of slowing down.

Sebastian closed the door behind the Mayor while Dr. Kyle crumpled into an armchair with an exasperated sigh.

“I hope you will look past the rudeness,” Sebastian said, pouring Dr. Kyle a cup of tea, “The tall man is Mr. Glossam, the owner of most of the land here. The man with him is the Mayor.”

“I don’t mean to intrude,” Ayame said, “But is this the situation that has made the whole town so anxious?”

“I presume, you all found your way to Spirit after hearing the legend of the Golden Haired Princess?” Kyle asked.

“We did,” Fai confirmed, “But isn’t it just another story, a grim fairy tale?”

“All the people of this town, including me, felt the same,” Kyle answered, “But recent events have shaken those beliefs.”

“And the recent events being?” Kurogane asked. Fai thought it was a little amusing, the way the ninja’s impatience seeped through his stoic mask.

“Children have started to go missing, exactly like in the story,” Sebastian elaborated, “We have searched very hard, but we haven’t found anything. Twenty children are missing as of now.”

“Twenty children!” Sakura gasped, “How can it be!?”

“No wonder they were on guard when they saw us enter the town,” Kurogane said.

“As I told Mr. Glossam earlier,” Kyle said, “If you all have any clue, even the smallest one, to help us uncover this mystery, please let us know at the earliest!”

“We promise, Dr. Kyle,” Ayame said.

“Sebastian and I will go out into the town in a short while to help look for the missing children. Meanwhile, please make yourselves comfortable. You all must be very tired,” Kyle said. Then turning to Sebastian he continued, “Prepare three rooms before we leave.”

“One for the young lady, one for the gentlemen, and one for the couple, Master Kyle?” Sebastian clarified.

Ayame froze… and so did Fai. He had not seen this coming.

“That won’t be necessary at all,” Ayame said quickly, “My sister and I will be comfortable sharing a room. I’m sure the boys won’t mind either.” She gave Fai a pointed look at that.

“Yes, of course!” Fai said, “Please don’t take so much trouble.”

“It’s no trouble at all!” Kyle smiled. “I will not have it on my conscience to separate such a lovely couple on such a lovely night.” Even Fai felt heat rising in his cheeks when the implied meaning behind the Doctor’s words clicked.

It took Sebastian about ten to twenty minutes to set things up while Dr. Kyle sat with them and made small talk. As soon as the necessary arrangements were made, they gathered up their coats and hats.

“Get a good night’s rest, travellers,” Kyle said, “And one more thing; please refrain from venturing out on your own after dark. The people of the town might get suspicious.”

“We understand,” Syaoran answered.

With that, both Dr. Kyle and Sebastian picked a kerosene lamp each and went out to help with the search. Fai got up and locked the door shut. He turned back to his companions to ask their opinion about the current situation. However, all he saw was a hand arching towards him and then a sudden, jarring pain in the side of his head. A sharp crack rang in the room.

Ayame had wasted no time at all.

“Ow, that hurt!” Fai yelled in surprise, his hand flying to the side of his head.

“What the hell do you think you were doing?” she hissed, “Now, we have to pretend to be a couple for the whole duration of our stay here. How are we going to manage that!?”

Kurogane smirked. “Just hold hands, and walk around the town. That should help, I’m sure.”

“See Aya-chan, Kuro-pon has the right idea.”

“It’s Kurogane!”

“You are unbelievable!” Ayame huffed, sitting down heavily.

“Don’t be like that Aya-chan!” Fai pouted, “It can be fun!”

“It can be fun my as-” Ayame glanced at Sakura and then at Syaoran before taking a deep breath. “Let’s just find the feather quickly, okay?” she sighed.

“Talking about quickly, you were very quick on your feet there, Syaoran-kun,” Fai said, “You are pretty good at making stuff up.”

“Comes with practice, doesn’t it?” Ayame said, winking at Syaoran.

“It does,” Syaoran smiled back, “My dad and I used the same excuse when we travelled. Though, Ayame-san was the assistant that time.” He grinned a little sheepishly at Ayame.

“Yeah, good times,” Ayame sighed.

A hush fell over the group. Ayame and Syaoran were, for sure, lost in the adventures they had. Kurogane was staring pensively into his teacup as well, his mind off to a much happier place, Fai guessed, going by the small smile that played on the ninja’s lips: a smile Kurogane smiled when he thought no one was looking.

Fai felt a sudden pang of guilt; he knew, what was in store for them in the future. Not only did he know, he was also one of the causes of it. The weight in his chest grew heavier, dragging his conscience down. He thought about everything all these good people would have to sacrifice for the sake of _that_ man’s wish… and his own as well.

It was Sakura who finally pulled everyone back to the present.

“There are so many people outside,” she said, pointing at the windows.

Surely enough, Fai could see moving lights and shadows through the curtains. He walked up to the windows and parted the drapes just a little to get a better look. Outside, it was as if almost every single adult in the little town of Spirit were wrapped up in their thickest coats and trudging in the snow, calling out the names of the missing children. Ayame came to take a look as well. She stood next to him, watching as the search went on.

“Things are getting very serious, aren’t they?” Fai said.

“Rightly so,” Ayame said. Fai thought he could hear a little anger in her carefully modulated voice. “Those children could be anywhere, alone, scared, freezing in the snow. No one deserves that. If I ever get my hand on the bastards who are responsible for this, I’m gonna have more than just a word with them.”

Kurogane said something in response, but Fai didn’t hear any of it. Ayame’s words shook something inside him. For a moment, he was back in that horrible place, starving, desperate, slipping on the ever present snow, piling up the dead to reach the top of the tower which imprisoned the only other living person there… the only one who truly cared for him.

“Fai-san?”

Fai felt a warm, calloused hand on his arm, shaking him.

“Fai-san? You alright?” Ayame asked again.

“Yea… yeah,” Fai said, a little more shakily than he would have liked.

Lilac eyes searched his face. “You looked like you were lost for a moment. Are you sure you’re okay?”

Fai gently pushed Ayame’s hand away and put on the best smile he could muster. “I’m in top shape. Don’t you worry!”

He turned away quickly, but, not before he saw Ayame and Kurogane exchange one short look. Fai swallowed nervously and chose to ignore it; the best thing to do was to pretend to be alright, like nothing ever happened.

“Anyways,” he said, “It’s really late. Time to sleep!”

The words had barely left his mouth when Sakura yawned a massive yawn. She swayed dangerously were she sat, then toppled off the sofa. Luckily, Syaoran caught her before she hit the floor. Fai didn’t know whether to be relieved, or just laugh out loud. Sakura’s timing had been so perfect, it was comical.

“I was just waiting for that to happen,” Ayame chuckled.

Ayame and Syaoran went upstairs to tuck Sakura in, Mokona bouncing in their wake, leaving Fai and Kurogane behind. Fai put out the fire and was about to go upstairs as well when Kurogane caught his arm and held it firmly.

“What is it with you?” he asked.

Fai knew exactly what the ninja was asking about, but he pretended he didn’t. “I don’t know what you are talking about, Kuro-pon!”

The scowl on the ninja’s face looked more menacing in the formless shadows thrown around by the dying embers of the fire.

“You are not fooling anyone, mage.”

With that, Kurogane released his arm and made his way up to where their rooms were, his footsteps echoing in the now empty living room.

Fai’s smile dropped the moment Kurogane was out of sight.

“That’s what I am afraid of, Kuro-sama.”

**XXX**

Syaoran and Kurogane were talking when Fai reached the floor above. On seeing him, however, Kurogane abruptly stopped mid-sentence, gave him a sullen look and stomped into a room nearby. Syaoran looked a little taken aback, but gave Fai a small smile nonetheless, probably to ease the obvious tension.

“Is Sakura-chan comfortable?” Fai asked.

“Yeah,” the boy answered, pointing at the door opposite to the one Kurogane disappeared into. “Mr. Michaelis left a few extra blankets. Ayame-san made sure Sakura-hime was warm. She really wanted to stay with the Princess but there is just one bed in the room. She was even ready to sleep on the floor; that’s when Kurogane-san threatened to tie her up and dump her in the other room.”

“She didn’t take that threat very well, did she?” Fai laughed.

“That goes without saying.” Syaoran cracked one of his rare smiles. “Ayame-san said something in the lines of ‘Let’s take this outside and I’ll show you who dumps who’.”

Fai could picture the exchange – Kurogane’s red eyes narrowed with irritation on one side and Ayame’s hands placed on her hips, an air of defiance surrounding her, on the other.

“So where is Aya-chan now?”

“Oh, she went stomping into the third room,” Syaoran said, pointing to the door at the end of the hallway.

Fai couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. “Kuro-mun managed to convince her?”

“I was a little surprised too,” Syaoran said, “But Kurogane-san made a valid point. He said that if she wanted to find the Princess’ feather and help the children, she would have to rest up well and that will not be achieved by sleeping on the floor.”

“Our brooding ninja was on point as always,” Fai chuckled.

“The mention of children was enough to convince Ayame-san,” Syaoran said. When he met Fai’s questioning gaze, he simply shrugged. “She’s always had a soft spot for children, especially the ones who are lost and uncared for.”

“Is that so…” Fai trailed off, his eyes shifting to the view outside the window. Through the frosted glass, he could see some of the townsfolk still outside in the snowfall, looking for the children. Syaoran’s little revelation explained the anger he heard in Ayame’s voice earlier. He couldn’t help but wonder; would his childhood have been different if someone like Ayame had been there to stand up for him and his brother?

Fai rested his head against the window, shivering just a little from the sudden chill.

 _‘Probably not.’_ He was cursed afterall; always had been.

“Is everything alright, Fai-san?” Syaoran asked.

Fai snapped back quickly.

“Yes, of course! Why would you ask that, Syaoran-kun?” he asked back.

At this, Syaoran frowned just a little. “It's just that earlier, downstairs, you looked troubled and now, Kurogane-san seems to be angry with you, and that only happens when he feels people are keeping things from him.”

‘ _That’s quite impressive,_ ’ Fai thought. Syaoran was more perceptive than he looked.

“Kuro-fu is just being grumpy as always, don't read into it too much.” Then Fai gave the young boy the widest smile he could muster. “And as for me, someone who smiles so widely cannot possibly have a care in the world! Wouldn't you agree?”

Syaoran didn’t look convinced, but he didn’t push it further. When the boy stifled a yawn, Fai took the opportunity to put this behind him as soon as possible.

“We should call it a night. Don’t you think, Syaoran-kun?”

“I guess we should. Good Night, Fai-san.”

“Good Night.”

Fai let out a relieved sigh as the door closed after Syaoran. Since when did his emotions start to show so clearly on his face?

“I used to be so much better at this,” he said, walking down the hallway.

The room, which he and Ayame were sharing, was smaller than the one they all had slept in the night before, but definitely cosier. Most of the space in it was taken up by a king sized bed so fluffy, it reminded Fai of the little puffs of clouds one could see in the spring sky. A fire crackled away merrily in the wrought iron fireplace on the left side of the bed, filling the room with the faint fragrance of pine. A square window, covered with fluttering grey, lace curtains, was set into the wall next to the fireplace. Two, wobbly-looking chairs with twisted brass legs and soft white seats stood invitingly in front of the fire.

He shook off his coat and was about to sink into one of the chairs when he saw it – a small pile of blankets snuggled in between four feathery pillows with a note on top. Overcome by curiosity, he picked it up. The writing was neat, the letters looping over one another. Fai noticed that at some places, the ink had left imprints on the other side of the paper, as if the writer had pressed the pen too hard in thought while writing.

The note read –

I observed earlier this evening that the cold bothered Miss Ayame very much. It seems like she is very unfamiliar with such temperatures. Thus, I took the liberty to leave a few extra blankets, in case she needed them.

I hope you have a restful night.  
  
\- Sebastian Michaelis

“Odd isn’t it?”

Fai’s heart shot into his mouth; Ayame just seemed to materialize out of thin air behind him. She had changed from her day clothes into a night gown. Scanning the room once more, he noticed a small doorway covered with curtains, similar to the ones on the window. It had completely slipped past him before. His skills were getting rusty as this journey progressed, he was becoming too complacent.

He did his best to hide his surprise and asked, “Dressing room?”

Ayame simply nodded. She hugged herself, shuffled to the other chair and curled up, like a cat curling into a cushion.

“Why did you say it was odd, Aya-chan?”

Ayame held out her hands in front of the fire for a while before answering.

“Odd that a simple doctor’s assistant in a small town like this, would be so observant. It’s almost as if, he knew that I was from a place which hasn’t seen snow.”

“He probably assumed that about all of us,” Fai said.

Ayame shook her head.

“I don’t think so. See, in the note he only mentions me, not you. If he thought that all of us were from warmer places, he would have left extra blankets for everyone. But the only ones who got them were me and Sakura, no one else.”

“He is a doctor’s assistant, afterall, it’s his job to observe people for signs of discomfort.”

“That’s not the only odd thing, Fai-san.” Ayame sat up straighter. “He is too strong and agile for a doctor’s assistant. I could _feel_ the strength in his arms when he lifted me. He was very quick on his feet as well, you saw that yourself.”

A new, unfamiliar feeling nudged Fai’s chest. Fai dealt with it in the same way he dealt with any other emotion – a joke.

“Well, well, well! Is our Warrior Princess developing a crush?”

Ayame jumped and hit Fai on the shoulder. “Not now, you idiot! What I’m trying to say is, it doesn’t add up.”

Fai didn’t suspect before, but now it was clear as day. The assistant’s timely arrival, the doctor vouching for complete strangers in a town shrouded with fear, and even letting them stay in his house; it really didn’t add up. Fai now understood the meaning behind Ayame’s suspicious frown from earlier.

“They are hiding something. Both, Dr. Kyle and Sebastian,” Ayame said, almost as if she was reading his mind. “I don’t trust them. Not one bit.”

A silence stretched between them, both lost in thought.

“So what do we do now?” Fai asked finally.

Ayame shrugged. “Nothing. We just go on. Pretend like we trust them. Just gut feeling is not enough to prove that they are up to something, don’t you think?”

“Yeah.”

There really was nothing they could do but observe their seemingly benevolent hosts, quietly and patiently.

Ayame got up and stretched her arms. “We should rest up, it’s gonna be a long day tomorrow.”

Fai felt his heart thud nervously. He had shared a room with people plenty of times; but a bed… he hadn’t shared a bed with anyone other than his… Fai couldn’t bring himself to complete the sentence in his head.

Even though it never seems to be the case, Fai felt uncomfortable having people around him all the time. Being always around was a sign of regularity. If something is regular, you start depending on it. If you start depending on it, you become attached to it. And after everything that has happened to him, attachment was the last thing he wanted. So far, he has been trying his best to keep a safe distance from his companions, trying his best not to get too used to them. But this, now, might change things.

He mentally kicked himself for being so impulsive. What was he thinking?

“Aya-chan, you should sleep on the bed… I’ll be fine, right here on this chair,” Fai said.

Ayame raised a sceptical eyebrow. “And why is that?” Then, after a pause, she added, “I hope it’s not for my benefit. I’ve lived in battle camps for months, and trust me, the bed here is spacious in comparison to the sleeping arrangements there.”

“And didn’t anyone ever… you know… try anything with you?” Fai asked, doing his best to cover his worry with a veil of curiosity.

She took a step back and grinned at him, eyebrows raised. “Try anything, with me? Have you met me?”

“Point taken,” Fai laughed. “But seriously, I’m fine here. Don’t worry.”

Ayame placed her hands on her hips and scoffed. She was having none of it.

“Fai D. Fluorite, you better tuck yourself in before I lift you by your bony neck, and do it myself.”

Fai huffed indignantly. That tone. It took him back to Luval Castle, to the times when Ashura used to scold him for sneaking off wine bottles from the cellar. And he hated it. He would do anything, but obey. That’s what he’s going to do now as well.

Fai was not going to budge. “You sound like a grumpy nanny now, you know that?”

Ayame ignored the jibe. “Fai, I’m giving you one last chance.”

“Well I refuse. What are you gonna do about it?” Fai snapped back.

Ayame blinked at him, surprised by his answer. Then, a smug smile sneaked across her face.

“If you don’t sleep on the bed, I won’t too.”

Fai clicked his tongue disapprovingly. Why was she being so childish?

“Seriously, Aya-chan? That’s, how you’re going to play this? Blackmail?”

Ayame wasn’t even the least bit ashamed. “Hey, whatever works, works.”

Now he was intrigued. How far was Ayame willing to go?

“And you think this is going to work?”

Ayame gave him a sideways glance and said, “Oh, I know it’s going to work.” She then grabbed a particularly thick blanket from the pile on the bed, wrapped herself in it and burrowed into the chair, staring into the flames defiantly.

They sat quietly for some time. The comforting crackling of the fire, and the wind howling outside were the only sounds in the stubborn silence. And Fai simply waited. He knew what was going to happen. He could see it in his head – Ayame would lose her patience, jump up, wriggle out of the blanket, throw herself on the bed and say, ‘You can do whatever you want. I’m going to sleep, thank you very much.’

Several minutes passed, Fai could tell by the sand trickling into the hourglass kept on the mantel, but Ayame didn’t jump up as he’d expected her to. Instead she just sat next to him; he could see her fingers clutching the blanket for dear life. She was staring into the fire, as if the intensity of her gaze had the ability to scare the fire into being warmer. Her discomfort made him feel queasy, but so much he could take. He was stubborn enough for that. However, when Ayame started shivering so hard that Fai could see her knees knocking together, he was not so sure. By the time the chattering of her teeth joined the sound of the crackling fire, Fai decided that this has gone too far.

“Fine. Alright. I give up,” he said, jumping to his feet, “You win. I will sleep on the bed. But, only if you tuck yourself in first.”

He was stubborn, yes. But not stubborn enough to let someone’s health take the hit. Especially when that someone had just recovered.

A small, triumphant smile bloomed on Ayame’s face. “Just as I thought.”

“What do you mean?” Fai asked.

But she didn’t answer. Instead, Ayame hopped on the balls of her feet as she made the bed, grinning all the while.

When Fai prodded further, she replied with another question. “What do you mean by, what do you mean?”

“You know, what I mean,” Fai huffed.

Again, she didn’t answer. Fai glared at her, but that just made Ayame laugh.

“Fine, fine. I’ll tell you,” she said, wiping tears from her eyes. “I knew I would start shivering soon. And, I also knew the moment that happens, you would cave.”

“You risked falling sick to test out a theory?” Fai asked.

“Oh, I was not testing a theory. I was proving a fact.”

Ayame sighed as the warm sheets enveloped her and she sunk into the soft bed.

“And the fact is that you are a caring person,” she mumbled drowsily.

“Really…” Fai trailed off, watching Ayame’s eyes grow heavy with sleep.

Caring. That was not the word Fai would use to describe himself. But he did like the sound of it.

“You should sleep soon, Fai-san,” she said softly.

A thought whooshed its way into his head. He wrestled with himself, should he say it or not? A few seconds later, he decided to go ahead.

“You know, Aya-chan, since we are pretending to be engaged, I think it will be better if you call me Fai,” he said.

Ayame, however, was already snoring softly. Fai chuckled.

“That’s probably for the best.”

Fai put out the fire, slipped into the other side of the bed and draped a single blanket over him; he was used to far lower temperatures.

“Good Night, Aya-chan.”

**XXX**

_Memories flash before Fai, like the fluttering pages of a book._

_The first being his earliest memories. The clear spring sky; the towering pines and willows; walks in the palace garden; small hands clasped together so tight that they got a little sweaty; little feet tottering among blooming lilies, lavenders, and chamomile; a warm and comforting hand on his back, teaching him about the flora around him. The silly games of hide and seek, giggles echoing in the polished marble corridors. Fighting over the last piece of pudding. Tossing neatly piled autumn foliage into the air, screaming with glee, then watching with awe as the setting sun blazed golden life into the dead, browning leaves. Pillow fights way past bedtime. Sipping hot chocolate while cuddled in a warm quilt, watching the snow drift lazily down from the restless grey sky._

_Those were the days, Fai thought, the days he lived without a single care about tomorrow._

_But they didn’t last long._

_He is standing in the royal court of Valeria, surrounded by angry courtiers demanding sacrifice… demanding blood… demanding death to save a dying country. Emotions he remembered all too well course through him once more – desperation, fear, anger, hate, the will to survive against all odds. The king, his uncle, his own flesh and blood, declares the final verdict, to roaring applause. He tightens his grip on the hand of the person standing next to him. At least they will be together, he thinks._

_The ground freezes below him. The cold wind rips through the rags on his small, bony body. Why? Why did they have to be separated? Wasn’t being thrown into this eternal prison enough? There was only white nothingness as far as the eye could see. And scattered in the nothingness, the lifeless bodies of Valeria’s vilest and cruellest. What had they ever done to deserve this?_

_Time passes. Fai sees himself starving in the shadow of the tower; sometimes sobbing, sometimes screaming, sometimes calling out to the one trapped above. But mostly, just staring at the frozen ground. He watches as the light almost leaves his clear blue eyes, watches as he becomes nothing more than a moving husk. He doesn’t know how much time has passed, only that he just wants it all to end._

_The mood changes when he sees innocent citizens being thrown into the frozen hell – old men with scrolls in their hands, young men wearing the army uniform, a little girl still holding on to her doll, a woman cradling her dead babe. He knows something has gone terribly wrong. That’s when it kicks in, the adrenaline, the will to survive. He calls out to the one trapped in the tower, urges him to stay strong. They will not die here. They will not go down with the world that forsook them. They will get out._

_He piles up bodies, doesn’t matter if its man, woman, or child. He stacks them up, one by one, to reach the top, to reach his blood._

_Fai knows what’s coming next. He tries to stop. Tries to wake up. But the nightmare continues._

_He can’t get out._

_He tries in vain to get out of the memory. He doesn’t want to see it happen one more time… not again, never again._

_And then, a miracle._

_A warmth engulfs him. Fai reaches out to it, clings on to it for dear life, lets it seep into every single bone of his being. It pulls him away from this frozen nightmare. He lets it. It guides him into calming emptiness._

_A voice rings through his dreams. It starts off mellow at first, then surges, eroding away the howling wind from the horrors of his life, little by little, till it was completely gone. A song, a beautiful, oddly familiar song, lulls him into dreamless sleep, into safety._

**XXX**

It was not the frigid morning air, nor the bar of sunlight streaming into the room through the windows, but the cock-a-doodle-doo of the roosters that finally woke Ayame. She rubbed her eyes groggily and pushed herself off the bed. She cringed a little when the floorboards creaked, worried the sound would wake Fai up. However, judging the way he had buried his face into two pillows, it was highly unlikely he heard anything at all.

“Good,” she sighed, bringing his blanket up to his chin. He needed the sleep. It had taken Ayame a while to calm Fai down when he started to twist and stir in panic. Finally, when he calmed a little, she had sung a song she vaguely remembered to get him sleeping peacefully. She had often sung that very song to calm Yukito’s nerves after a particularly bad vision.

“Somethings are an evergreen solution.”

A peek out of the window told her it was still pretty early. A man was putting out the flames in the street lamps. A teenage boy was refilling the milk bottles kept outside the homes. She figured she could get another half an hour of sleep, but chose to wash up and get dressed for the day instead.

She picked out a lace blouse, similar to the one she wore the previous day, but in white this time. She decided to ditch the petticoats for a pair of black trousers. She chuckled to herself when she remembered the tailor’s shocked face when she had asked to buy them. She then wore a deep purple wrap skirt over the pants, so as to avoid any unwanted attention; she and her little group had enough of that from the townsfolk already. She didn’t want them to think that she had no regard for their culture and customs. When she finally managed to get her hair into a neat side braid, she tip-toed out of the room and shut the door softly behind her.

As Ayame made her way downstairs, she heard the raking of metal against coal… and then after a while, the clinking of cutlery against ceramic plates. Sebastian was awake as well, probably following his morning routine.

“Good Morning, Mr. Michaelis.”

Sebastian, who was arranging forks and knives on the dining table, looked up and smiled. “Good Morning, Miss Ayame. You are up awfully early.” With a frown, he added, “I apologise if my morning chores disturbed your sleep in anyway.”

“No, not at all. I used to be a light sleeper, not anymore though.” Ayame assured him.

“I see…” Sebastian said, more to himself than Ayame. She thought she saw something like surprise flicker in the red of his eyes. With a small bow, he added, “Since you are awake, I’ll get the kettle boiling right away.”

Ayame sat in the living room, skimming through a few leaflets on the coffee table – the renewed menu of the local diner, the timings for the weekly market, a new antique shop open in town, so on and so forth. One of them caught her eye: A lengthy one containing a series of security measures every household was expected to follow in light of the child kidnappings.

“Those were Dr. Kyle’s idea,” Sebastian said, setting a silver tray containing a steaming tea pot, a tea cup, and a bowl of sugar on the table. “He hoped that by taking the appropriate security measures, the situation could be somewhat contained. Unfortunately, it hasn’t been working so far.”

“Any luck last night?”

“No, I’m afraid. The children still remain missing.” Sebastian poured tea into the cup. “You don’t take milk and like two sugars, right, Miss Ayame?”

“Yes.” Ayame sat up a little straighter to get a better look at Sebastian’s face. “How did you know?”

Sebastian’s usually calm demeanour rippled just a little. “I made a note of it last evening.”

“You are quite observant, Mr. Michaelis. First the bedsheets, and now, the tea. And also, how could I forget yesterday’s rescue? You were very quick on your feet there. I would say you are well trained, and very qualified.” After a pause, she added, “Too trained to be _just_ a doctor’s assistant.”

Sebastian held her gaze for a few seconds before tipping his head down a little. “You overestimate me, Miss. I am nothing but a humble assistant.”

Ayame searched his face for any sign of a lie – a small twitch in a muscle, tiniest uncertainty in the eyes. But Sebastian’s sharp, chiselled features gave nothing away. The polite smiled stayed as he mixed the tea and the sugar and handed the cup over to Ayame.

“Thank you.”

“It is my duty, Miss Ayame. If you require anything, you need only ask.”

Sebastian continued making preparations for breakfast. Ayame went through the safety leaflet once more. It had clear instructions and a list of precautionary measures – it advised everyone in town to change the locks on their doors and windows, discouraged making copies of the new keys, instructions to shut the doors after sundown and not allow anyone in or out whatsoever. In case of emergencies, a password was to be shared with only the ones they trusted the most. Parents were to keep a close eye on their children for any behavioural changes. And it continued on and on.

The advice the doctor gave was sound and accurate. Not something a person involved with the kidnappings would do. But then again, Ayame couldn’t shake off the fact that something was wrong, that she was missing something.

She sipped the tea and was about to continue to go through the brochure. However, when the warm liquid hit her taste buds, every thought in her head vanished without a trace. The sweetness, the aroma, the strength of the brew, the after taste it left in her mouth… was exactly like the tea in Clow Country.

For a moment, she felt herself going back to the times when she sat in the porch of her little house right near the palace barracks; the house she lived in till Touya made her move back into the palace. The desert wind blew, stirring up dust and sand. She heard the panting and groaning of the recruits exhausted from the days training. She remembered the pale blue morning sky when she and Touya sparred, Yukito watching with a mixture of amusement and pride. The blinding white sunlight as the clock struck noon, the time of the day when she and Lafarga discussed everything about the army, from patrols to weapons to the whispers from their intelligence network over lunch. She remembered the world painted with the beautiful rose gold of the sunset when Syaoran used to drop by and tell her all about the excavations. And then the midnight black sky peppered with twinkling stars when Sakura sneaked out of her quarters and the sisters talked into the night about anything and everything two sisters could possibly talk about.

The tea made her yearn for home, the not-so-perfect, yet beautiful life she had before the madness began.

“Is the tea to your liking, Miss Ayame?”

Ayame’s eyes snapped open to find Sebastian standing near the coffee table, his face carrying his customary polite smile. However this time, she could see an amusing light dancing in his eyes, as if there was a joke being played and he was the only one in on it.

“A foreign vendor came into town a few days ago. He had a variety of exquisite merchandise, but this particular tea caught my eye,” he continued, “I have never seen anything like it before. I tried my best to follow the instructions he gave me. I hope it’s, at the very least, drinkable.”

“No, no. I’m sure you did everything right. It’s quite good,” Ayame replied, pulling herself together. The sudden nostalgia had shaken her more than she would like to admit.

“I’m glad you liked it.”

Ayame was saved the trouble of replying by soft, thumping sounds coming from above.

“I think it’s safe to assume that your companions are awake,” Sebastian noted, glancing at the ceiling.

“Yeah, I think so too,” Ayame said, a little relieved. “I better go, they might worry.”

“Yes of course,” Sebastian said with a small bow. “However, I urge you all to be here soon, breakfast is almost ready.”

Ayame emptied her cup with a single gulp and said, “I will get them down as soon as I can.”

As Ayame made her way back up, the taste of the tea still lingered on her tongue. How could that same tea be right here, right now? Practically speaking, it was just a coincidence. However, the words of the Dimensional Witch came to her: ‘There is no such thing as coincidence in this world, there is only destiny.’ What was destiny trying to tell her? Does it mean that there is something suspicious about Dr. Kyle and Sebastian?

On one hand, they help with the search for the children every night, they put out safety brochures to help families keep their children safe. And on the other hand, they seemed to be at the right place at the right time, invited complete strangers into their home, a very big home for someone who was the doctor of a small town, not to forget the obviously over-qualified assistant.

She kept turning all this over in her head, when a sudden thought popped. It made her stop in her tracks. Last evening, it was Dr. Kyle, not Sebastian, who poured out the tea. He had put in the milk before asking her. Ayame had taken it that way out of politeness. Not once had she mentioned her preference.

She stopped at the landing and turned around. Sebastian was busy stirring a pot and checking its contents. A few seconds later, he stopped and looked up, as though he felt her eyes on him.

He offered her a smile, just a tad bit wider than the one that usually adorned his handsome face, and asked, “Is something the matter, Miss Ayame?”

Ayame looked straight into his bright red eyes and smiled back. “Not at all, Mr. Michaelis. I just remembered something important.”

She held his gaze for a moment longer, before turning her back on him and continuing her way upstairs; only one single question in her head now.

How the hell did Sebastian Michaelis know?


End file.
